In September 2020, Drew Danburry’s Icarus Phoenix released its self-titled debut, which was released on cassette via his own Telos Tapes label. Created after moving to Missoula after a long stint in Salt Lake City and Provo’s D.I.Y. communities, Icarus Phoenix serves as a conscious uncoupling from Utah’s oppressive religious monoculture. It is also an experiment in creating tangible items of worth in the constant ephemera of the internet in the wake of the supposed death of the proper album.

“Cassie Knows, or How a shy person says I love you” features hand-drawn animations that provide a compelling visual for the sweet art pop of its companion single, which is sure to appeal to fans of Sufjan Stevens and Jason Anderson. Painstakingly created over the course of a year using thousands of index cards, hundreds of pens and created during a pandemic, losing his home and business in Montana, moving back to Utah and starting over – the dedication to creating this video is an incredible labor of love or a white knuckle grip on controlling what’s in our grasp. The ability to create beautiful, surreal art in the face of a crushing reality.

Drew Danburry | Telos Tapes