Singled Out: Albis' Broken Man

You may know Oscar Albis Rodriguez from his work with A Great Big World but his Albis band is getting ready to release the new "Animals" EP and to celebrate we asked Oscar to tell us about the song "Broken Man". Here is the story:

This is a tough one for me. "Broken Man" came from a place of guilt and anger. My wife and I were going through a particularly tough period because she had been polyamorous until our engagement. We became fully monogamous after our marriage and we were having a very tough time with it. Despite the monogamy I was still super jealous and angry, and she was unhappy and very much missed her old life. I could see how incredibly unhappy she was, and on top of that I was dealing with a mysterious ankle injury that lasted many months. This was all while I was very isolated in Philadelphia away from my New York work and social circle. It just made me very depressed and honestly suicidal. All the songs on the ANIMALS EP came from that place, but "Broken Man" in particular was birthed out of those impulses. I just kept thinking about what life would be like for her and others if I disappeared. It became an obsession. It's something I don't wish upon anybody.

The song's production actually started at Acme Hall Studios in Brooklyn. I recorded a solo acoustic version of "Broken Man" along with another song from ANIMALS called "The Man In The Silver Vest". I intended to release the two songs together but eventually decided to do a full band arrangement of "Broken Man". My great friend Zach Jones came down to my Russell Street Recording studio and put down some drums and then I went back and redid the acoustic guitars. Mike Chiavaro did bass remotely at home, which is something I find amazing because the technology has just come so far for this kind of efficiency to be possible. Dave Moose Sherman came by to add some keyboard strings that gave it a Neutral Milk Hotel vibe and I had Billy Libby play the lead guitar break in the bridge. I'm so happy with everyone's additions.

Hopefully the song will connect with people that are feeling depressed in their relationships. Maybe it'll convince someone who's having suicidal impulses that they ultimately have a choice to not kill themselves. I certainly needed a reminder this wasn't just about me, but also the people that love and care about me.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself here and learn more about the album right here!

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