With “Harry Nilsson”, Octoberman offers a warm and quiet tribute that’s as much about holding on as it is about letting go. From their upcoming album Chutes (Aug 27), the song was sparked by songwriter Marc Morrissette’s grief after losing his mother.
I had recently lost my mother, so I was hyper-aware of mortality and how things can turn on a dime. Losing an ever-present person in your life makes you more afraid of it happening again, especially as a father and husband. In the end, it’s like losing a part of yourself that never comes back.
That vulnerability gives the track a quiet gravity, even as its arrangement glows with warmth. Recorded without a click or computer screen, the song feels alive in a way that’s increasingly rare. Marc, alongside Marshall Bureau on drums and Tavo Diez de Bonilla on bass, capture a natural ebb and flow with the music breathing in real time and with every strum and cymbal hit tethered to human timing. With later contributions from J.J. Ipsen on guitar and Annelise Noronha on background vocals and banjo, they further add delicate textures that never overshadow the song’s core.
“Harry Nilsson” isn’t just a nod to its namesake’s iconic ballad but an exploration of love, loss, and the resilience required to keep creating.
