Immerse yourself in the stripped-back mountain sound of Put Me Down ( A Foreign Man) by Prinz Grizzley, the musical moniker of singer-songwriter Chris Comper. With just banjo and backing vocals as accompaniment, the focus is all on Comper’s characterful voice and the intensity of his words: “I was travelling with a lonesome heart // Too many miles away from home // Some man´s wife fell for my charm // By morning I was dead and gone… And if u standing at my grave // Remember the ones who have failed // No chance for me to be saved // Darkness, dirt, wood and nails.” The rhythmic, pulsing repetition of the word, “…down,” adds to the moody darkness of the narrative. Produced by halbnah film, with Thomas Stanglechner behind the camera, the video is beautifully shot and is an artistic piece of work in its own right. The song and video are both steeped in cinematic atmosphere.
This is the opening track on the upcoming album Tilda, which will be released on 2nd October 2026. Tilda is a concept album, on which each song reflects a moment in the lives of Comper’s grandparents. The song titles can be interpreted as chapter headings, with a title followed by an introduction to the story in brackets. In the case of Put Me Down (A Foreign Man), the addition in brackets refers to Comper’s great-grandfather, who arrived in Austria from Italy.
Comper still lives in the isolated family home that his grandfather built in the Alps; it is now home to his own family and the inspiration for his writing. He explains: “I love living here. This is where I grew up. It’s the best place to raise children. It’s a little paradise of peace and quiet. I’ve lived in London, and there’s no time to be bored there. I need boredom…even though that’s hard with three kids. With Tilda, I’m digging into the lives of my grandparents. Living here makes it easy to get into their mind state, because they lived here when they were my age.” Check it out, absorbing stuff.
