If you’ve ever looked at an old document and noticed brown spots on it, what you are seeing are signs of aging. It’s not exactly clear what specifically causes them, but one day, the page will completely brown over and be no more. This is called foxing.

A group of St. Louis musicians took this idea and turned it into a band. “From the conception of the band, we realized: we’re not gonna be around forever,” says Foxing singer Conor Murphy. “There’s classic literature that over time grows really old. But hopefully, you can make something that meant something at some point and will mean something down the road, even if it is aged and dated. That’s always what keeps me going, the idea that we’re writing something now that we won’t be able to write in ten years.” At only 21, Murphy is wise beyond his years and Foxing’s debut album, The Albatross is indisputable proof of that.

The Albatross has an epically beautiful, almost cinematic quality to it, a fact which the band members, some of whom were film students, are acutely aware of. Listening to their song “Rory” along with the music video they made for it is not only an emotionally jarring experiences but highlights the fact that Foxing have a bigger picture in mind than simply making music. It’s not just a sound, it’s a deeper, fuller concept fueled by a palpable sense of raw honesty and soulbearing. It’s not just a band, it’s the most vulnerable parts of their lives, reflected back at them.