Longboat Explores the Many Faces of Loss on New Album Absentia
On Absentia, Igor Keller, recording under the name Longboat, turns loss into something expansive rather than singular. Set for release on February 6, the album doesn’t focus on one defining moment or personal rupture. Instead, it examines absence in its many forms: emotional, cultural, psychological, and political. The result is a record that feels reflective without being heavy-handed, thoughtful without losing its edge.
Rather than framing Absentia as a confessional project, Longboat approaches it as a series of narratives. Each track looks at loss from a different angle, sometimes intimate, sometimes observational, sometimes laced with irony. He’s open about the intentions behind the songs, but equally clear that listeners are free to interpret them through their own lens. That openness runs through the entire album, giving it space to breathe.
Musically, Absentia leans on strong performances and careful arrangements. Longboat handles all vocals and adds soprano sax on “Who Can Stop Me Now?”, bringing a sharp tonal contrast to one of the album’s most pointed tracks. He’s backed by a seasoned lineup: Ryan Leyva on acoustic and electric guitars with backing vocals, Eric Verlinde on electric piano, Will Moore on bass, and James Squires on drums. The band plays with restraint, allowing the songs to unfold naturally rather than pushing for dramatic effect.
The album opens with “A Hole in the Air,” a quiet but heavy reflection on the loss of a longtime partner and the emptiness that follows. From there, Keller broadens the scope. “Begin at the End” reframes loss as a necessary step toward renewal, while “Captivity” imagines the loss of freedom through the lens of a wild predator, a metaphor that feels both specific and universal.
Several tracks focus on the social and personal consequences. “Down the Drain” follows a man who loses a fortune but gains little wisdom. “Everything to Offer, Everything to Lose” centers on someone pushed out of a career-track role to protect those higher up the chain. “Hope Dies Hard” strips the theme down to its core, suggesting that once hope is gone, everything else follows.
Keller also isn’t afraid to lean into dark humor. “Style Grenade” pokes fun at a hipster so committed to staying trendy that losing relevance seems almost impossible. “What and WHAT?” explores the cruel irony of a metal fan losing his hearing, while “What They Tell Me” takes a strangely calm look at cognitive decline, focusing on acceptance rather than panic. “Once It’s Gone” offers a short, sharp character study of a woman who loses her beauty, revealing that what disappears isn’t always what matters most.
One of the album’s most grounded moments comes with “Replaced with Nothing,” inspired by Longboat’s experience in Seattle. The song reflects on culturally significant buildings being torn down and left undeveloped, creating a sense that the city itself is slowly erasing parts of its identity. It’s a quiet but pointed observation that ties personal loss to collective experience.
The album closes with “Who Can Stop Me?”, a track shaped by the loss of an American election and the ripple effects that follow. Rather than leaning into outrage, Longboat approaches the subject with a measured tone, focusing on consequence, momentum, and uncertainty.
Recorded and mixed at Studio Litho by Floyd Reitsma and mastered by Ed Brooks at Resonant Mastering, Absentia is an album that values clarity and intention. Longboat has also hinted at stripped-back piano versions of several tracks, including “Captivity,” “Down the Drain,” “Replaced with Nothing,” and “Who Can Stop Me?”, with “Hope Dies Hard” currently being reworked, suggesting the songs will continue to evolve beyond the album itself.
At its core, Absentia doesn’t try to resolve loss or soften it. Instead, it sits with it, examines it, and lets it speak in different voices. That quiet confidence is what gives the album its weight, making it a compelling and thoughtful addition to Longboat’s growing body of work.