The first album to be released by solo artist Owen Trawick. The album, There are Leeches in Denton Lake, is a 7 track EP written exclusively acoustic. Because it’s his first release, not much can be found about Owen except his Twitter. Trawick is a Florida native, and it’s apparent in the references he puts in his lyrics. 

To: Myself in Colorado: Opening with strong guitar, Trawick’s first song is a message about regretting the past. The repetition of “I wish I had treated you better than…” reflects the pain of our past choices when it appears that they were wrong all along. Despite this, the lyrics “It’s cold in Colorado but it’s warm where I am,” show that we all end up in a better place eventually anyway. 

The Soccer Journals: This track has particular desperation about it, specifically in the line “And it’s a felony in Florida to own a fake ID” when Trawick explains how he has changed, such as in his personality. This track is also as relatable as most of the other tracks especially in the line “So if you could just respond once that would be great,” as he wonders if his friends all secretly hate him. 

There are Leeches in Denton Lake: This track ends with an impressive display of Trawick’s vocal strength but starts out similar to every other track. His use of guitar is very melodic and beautiful in this track and makes it easy. If sad, listen. 

Screwing in A Lightbulb: Unlike the other tracks on this EP, Screwing in a Lightbulb is a much more passionate listen. Trawick’s voice is very strong in this track, specifically on lines like “You were an agent of chaos, and I was your stupid little game.” Once again, his vocals are extremely impressive in this song as well. 

Mawce: Mawce is a track begging for attention, both literally and figuratively. The line “I might be flying home today but I’m not going home” is a call-out to feeling lost and alone, even in the most crowded of places. Trawick’s statement of spelling a name differently in the hopes of being accepted is relatable to listeners everywhere – that any shred of attention is better than nothing at all. 

Solitary Confinement: This track opens with a fun guitar riff that revisits throughout the whole song. This track has unique lyrics such as “I’m starting to ignore the check engine light…”, which is warmly familiar to more popular artists such as The Front Bottoms.  Despite the similar lyrical sounds, Trawick has his own original vocal sound and uses his voice to convey his emotions as he sings. 

Sleepwalking: Opening with a much softer sound than previous tracks, Trawick uses this song to convey his relatable messages about faith at such a confusing age. His lyrics “I should call my mom, she says she’s worried about me…” is just as painful as it sounds as listeners often struggle with their own relationships at this age – familial or otherwise. Similarly, the namesake lyrics – “I’ve been sleepwalking with a Swiss Army Knife” – show a strong sense of feeling lost in such a big world. 

As Trawick’s first album release, There are Leeches in Denton Lake is a beautiful listen. His strong vocals and beautiful use of guitar create a unique but familiar sound that listeners can sit back and truly enjoy. 

Spinnaker rates this album 3.5 out of 5 sails.

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