Track-by-Track: Lewis Turner Dives into the Stories Behind His Debut Album ‘Of Fibre and Fixes’

Colorado indie-folk artist Lewis Turner‘s debut album Of Fibre and Fixes is a 9-track masterpiece showcasing his vast and evolving range as both a musician and deeply-rooted storyteller. As a musician who creates a fluid blend of folk and Americana, the tracks on this record are seamlessly intertwined, each tune possessing its own unique sonic fingerprint and, as a whole, creating an endless wave of emotion that carries listeners through a journey of growth and change.

Steeped in story-telling lyrics and grounded with harmonic instrumentals, Of Fibre and Fixes embodies a captivating fusion of diverse genres, drawing inspiration from his eclectic musical palette and weaving a tapestry of soulful melodies that evoke a sense of nostalgia and depth. From soul-stirring ballads to foot-tapping Americana-infused rhythms, the album invites listeners to explore the intricate layers of Lewis’ musical evolution. At times, a haunting eeriness lingers, casting a beguiling spell that draws listeners into introspective realms. In other moments, a lush fullness envelops the music, surrounding the listener in a warm embrace of harmonies and arrangements.

“These songs are a timestamp of a very specific point in my life. My lyrics describe and reflect various themes, one in particular being ‘the unknown.’ I find myself falling back into cycles in life and relationships, and the album itself is a representation of this forever ebbing and flowing pattern.”

– Lewis Turner, Indie-Folk Artist

Lewis Turner joins us today for an exclusive track-by-track breakdown of the album, taking us behind the scenes on each song and sharing the stories that shaped them.

1. “Escape”

Lewis Turner: “This is the oldest song on the record. I wrote it when I was 16, and dealing with a lot of romanticized dreams. It’s a song about just wanting to leave what you have and take a big leap. “What if we just moved to the city and ran away from all we ever had?” It represents the unfulfilled and unrealistic aspirations of youth that I think we all have.”

2. “Doldrums”

“This song was written in 2021, after returning from sailing across the Caribbean and Pacific. I started to have dreams about the Ocean, people talk about seasickness, but land sickness is a thing too. I became so used to the sea, that the metaphors and descriptions of feelings made their way into everything I created. This song is a great example of that. There are so many times in life that we go through Doldrums. You were cruising along with wind in your sail, and suddenly, you’re dead in the water.”

3. “My Moon”

“Written in the summer of 2021, “My Moon” is a representation of the feeling of home. A place, or a person you’re always drawn back to, like the tide to the moon. When I wrote “My Moon”, it was the first time I had written a song and imagined very specific accompaniment. The deep and melodic string sections were one of the only aspects of this album that me and my producer (Tyler Lindgren) knew we wanted from the very beginning. Russick Smith (strings) executed that vision to perfection, and “My Moon” became one of the more orchestral songs on the record.”

Cover art for Lewis Turner’s ‘Of Fibre and Fixes’ by Stiinko.

4. “Gut Feeling”

“Another classic in my writing discography, “Gut Feeling” was written when I was 17. I’ve always struggled with comprehending intuition. Learning how to listen to the weird physical and mental feelings we get when we are making our little movements through life, is confusing, to say the least. “Gut Feeling” is just that, when you know something is wrong from the very beginning (a relationship or situation), and slowly, the unsettling feelings rise. In my songs, stars, and space are almost always representative of the unknown. “So I’ll keep looking at the sky, hoping you are too.” is a great example of just hoping someone else is as confused as you are.”

5. “Excuses”

“‘Excuses’ is my version of an ekphrasis. At this point in my life (right around my senior year of high school) I started to have this realization that I was making excuses to stop making art. The song “Excuses”, came from that dialogue. It symbolizes the excuses that we all make, and just how useless they are sometimes. And of course, at the end of this life, we’ll all “just end up dead.”

6. “Epilogue”

“‘Epilogue’ was live recorded as a mic test when me and my producer Tyler Lindgren had just begun the day of tracking. I remember playing all the way through it and Tyler saying “do that again.” I think it was the third or fourth take that we ended up using, and most of the lyrics were completely freestyled. It became the turning point of the record. The whole project is a circular motion. A cycle that begins at a point, but never ends. I had been told by some early listeners to the album that “Epilogue” was the ‘uneasy’ or ‘restless’ song. For me, it’s a song that represents doubt. In a relationship, when you hit that wall of doubt, it’s hard to climb over, and even if you make it, the doubt stays with you.”

7. “Martingale”

“‘Martingale’ is the song about sailing. A ‘martingale’ is the net on both sides of the bowsprit on a sailboat. It’s made to prevent people from falling overboard. It’s a reflection on a personal experience, but also an open page where the listener can attach their own experiences to a similar feeling. Reminiscence and the human condition of slightly changing our own memories to our benefit.”

8. “Another Story”

“Kind of an autobiography of a song. “Another Story” was written when I was 17. For a while, I wasn’t completely sure what it was about. Instead of listening as the writer, for the past year, I’ve tried to hear this song like the listener. To me, it’s about the passage of time. Our fears, and how they grow and change with us, how we remember being a kid, and how we forget some of the little things. Little things that give life color, and that shade in the edges of a super complex image. And then, how every single other person has their own story too. And so yours becomes ‘another story’.”

9. “Beggar’s Blues”

“I call this song ‘the last pop song I ever wrote’. I love it, and for a long time I wasn’t planning on putting it on the record. But as an artist, when a piece of work that you create is something that brings you a positive feeling, or you can just say that you like it, it’s best to show that piece off! It’s a simple song, but it marks a super specific point in my life, and a situation that only I’ll attach to it. It also adds a little bit of a new tone to the album.”