It’s as if Magnus Holmen sat on his back porch with a view of rolling hills in the distance and breezy August air whistling past his guitar strings as he wrote his debut record, Burn. In an epic installment of bluesy, folk-acoustic-rock, Magnus Holmen captures life stories in metaphoric sadness. Songs like “People of the Night” and “Take Me Under” remind us of the struggles we have with life and the ways we cope with them. While songs like “Mary-Jane Died Young” and “I Live” are not without a sense of optimism.
Magnus Holmen blends the airy and emotional elements of blues and folk with a hardened sense of realism; effortlessly making music that penetrates while painting vivid pictures lyrically. Burn isn’t only lyrically strong; it is layered with slide guitar, harmonica, and female vocalists adding subtle texture to songs like “Hollywood” and “Take Me Under”.
Burn is a relaxing look into a cynical world filled with skeptics, non-believers, and hopeful dreamers. Magnus Holmen has written a record that unwinds turmoil and smoothes it out with his low-toned voice and gentle acoustic melodies.
