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Cole Scheifele has stepped into the music spotlight with his two latest 2021 folk releases “Company Clothes” and “Back Then.” After debuting his EP “Everything Matters, Nothing Matters At All” in 2019, Scheifele gained many admirers for his folk sound, including, none other than, The Fray’s Ben Wysocki. From the Rocky Mountain region of Denver, Scheifeles’ home state must play an influential role in his folk, bluegrass sound, for he showcases the mountainous region on his cover for “Company Clothes”. As for his lyrics, Scheifele is heavily enamored by what it means to be human. Integrated with lyrics that question the human subconscious, Scheifele also produces graceful and beautiful melodies. Maybe it’s one of the reasons he was a Top 10 Finalist in The Planet Bluegrass Rocky Mountain Folk Festival Songwriting Competition.
“Company Clothes” is a song about work life. Scheifele explores the meaning behind the nine to five workday and what purpose does it really bring to us. Feeling aggravated with this cycle of a “live to work, work to live” mentality, he sings “dust on the counter, coffee's cold … I’m stuck here waiting in these company clothes. Another night gone, another year gone too.” He describes how time just keeps passing him by as he wakes up to the realization life does too. The tempo of the song really helps put you into Scheifele’s mindset of lazily complaining without ever doing anything to break the cycle. Though the song is soft, the acoustic features almost makes the listener feel sad and hopeless, like nothing is going to ever change. The melody, lyrics, and tempo all blend together to create this poignant ballad, and Scheifele’s voice is the tissue to dry your tears.
“Back Then” is Cole’s second single that will be featured on his upcoming album “The Hideaways.” Recorded live with only vocals and an acoustic guitar, “Back Then” is about feeling stuck in your own head day after day. He sings “didn’t I feel this way, haven’t I lived this day, didn’t I wake up here with the same old empty heart.” Just like the recording, the lyrics are raw exposing a vulnerability within Cole as he searches for something to fill the void, just like his search for humanity as an artist. To the listener with a similar experience, this song offers reassurance that you are not alone as Cole sings “don’t go at this alone .. won’t you come back when the storms are on the bend.” The song is an anthem to the lonely and the realizing, those who are on the path to mend.
By: Michaela Norton