YOB drummer Dave French has released Secrets Of A Krummholz Heart, the debut album from his ambient solo project SEMANTRON.
French has performed around the globe with YOB, played drums with Tad Doyle's BROTHERS OF THE SONIC CLOTH, collaborated live with Steve Von Till's HARVESTMAN, and produced records for members of SOUNDGARDEN. For several years he traveled with a classical guitar, writing songs backstage, in hotels, on ferry crossings, and in remote landscapes — pieces that gradually evolved into SEMANTRON.
In the winter of 2023, French rented an off-grid cabin at the foot of Mount Adams in Washington State, where he recorded the core guitar tracks for fifteen songs; six became Secrets Of A Krummholz Heart. The title draws on krummholz, the alpine phenomenon of trees bent and twisted by relentless wind near the limits of survival — for French, a metaphor for a heart shaped by life's forces yet still rooted and alive. Fans of Steve Von Till/HARVESTMAN, DEAD CAN DANCE, PINK FLOYD, EARTH, Brian Eno, and NEST are pointed toward the project.
French performed the album in full, recording acoustic foundations in the mountain cabin before completing drums, bass, electric guitars, and vocals between his home studio and the YOB rehearsal space. Acoustic and electric textures merge with field recordings — ravens and owls, alpine wind, rivers, stone percussion from mountain talus slopes, rhythms played on living trees, and meltwater dripping from an Icelandic glacier. The record was mixed by Nathan Yaccino (SOUNDGARDEN, Norah Jones, A STORM OF LIGHT), mastered by Tad Doyle (TAD, BROTHERS OF THE SONIC CLOTH), and completed with art and layout by French.
"It brings me immense pleasure to finally share this album in its entirety with you," French says. "Come enjoy its maiden voyage into the wilds with me!"
Secrets Of A Krummholz Heart is streaming now on Bandcamp.
French celebrated the release with a full-band show in Seattle featuring support from Tad Doyle, and will perform solo SEMANTRON sets opening for Steve Von Till in August.
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| August 19 | Spokane, WA | The Big Dipper (w/ Steve Von Till) |
| August 23 | Pioneertown, CA | Pappy & Harriet's (w/ Steve Von Till) |
| August 26 | Cottonwood, AZ | Queen B (w/ Steve Von Till) |