Gary Cox’s second album under the Von Venn name landed on my desk at exactly the right moment. I’d been scrolling through news feeds feeling that familiar knot in my stomach, the one that comes from watching the world bend itself into increasingly absurd shapes. Then “Still Falling” came through my speakers and I thought, oh good, someone else gets it.
“Forgetting the Fall” is the sound of someone who believed the adults had everything under control, then grew up and realized nobody really does. Cox doesn’t dress this up or make it pretty. The whole album reads like journal entries from someone processing the gap between what they thought life would be and what it actually is.
Take “Mainstream” for example. Cox goes after media bias in a way that feels personal rather than political. You can hear the frustration of someone who used to trust certain institutions to tell the truth, only to watch them choose sides instead. Rebecca Lane’s saxophone arrives midway through and completely transforms the song. It’s angry and mournful at the same time, which is exactly right.
Soundcaster Studios
The recording happened at Soundcaster Studios in Dublin with producer Terry Doyle, who also plays keyboards throughout. You can tell these two share a wavelength. Nothing feels overworked or fussed over. Doyle’s synth lines weave through tracks like “You Can Talk to Me” without calling attention to themselves, just adding this layer of melancholy that makes everything land harder.
Speaking of “You Can Talk to Me,” this might be the most emotionally intelligent song about relationships I’ve heard in years. Cox writes about the quiet ways couples drift apart, the conversations that don’t happen, the resentments that build up over nothing and everything. Ciara Henry’s voice comes in and suddenly the whole thing feels even more raw. It’s uncomfortable in the best way.
The album builds toward “Be Free,” which could have been heavy handed but isn’t. By the time you reach it, Cox has earned the right to sound hopeful. He’s shown you all the reasons to give up, acknowledged them honestly, then chosen optimism anyway. That feels radical right now.
You can listen here.
