On his latest album,
Bound to Be, released at the end of 2020, Townsend tackles a new set of weighty topics. I m musing about missed opportunities, lingering potential and appreciating what s always been right in front of me, he wrote in an email. The focus of
Bound to Be is different from that of its predecessor, but the final product is just as powerful. Townsend s specialty as a composer is creating a slow burn. On the album s title track, he chooses to build atmosphere piece by piece rather than start with a bang. Gently picked acoustic guitar notes usher in Townsend s soft vocals; then come light percussion, bass, electric guitar and musical saw. The gradual addition of instruments pushes the song to an elegant peak that packs emotional punch. Think of it as an exercise in delayed gratification.