Here’s the absorbing new single from Prinz Grizzley, also known as singer-songwriter Chris Comper. A Mountain to Be Tamed (The Struggling) has sparse beginnings, but the musical tension builds dramatically as Comper delivers an incredibly intense and emotive performance. Depth is added by Johannes Bischof’s pedal steel while the drums from Martin Grabherr drive the narrative on. Comper himself provides bass and keys, as well as acoustic guitar, and all these layers reinforce the steadily growing emotional weight. Through his distinctive, characterful voice, he imagines his grandfather’s life in the mountains in the 1930s; a life of big plans and failures, loneliness and hardship. There’s darkness and light: “Everywhere I go there’s a mountain to be tamed //There’s a fire to be stolen //There’s a sinner, there’s a saint // Everywhere I go there’s trouble finding me //There’s a devil waiting, waiting in me //There’s a devil in me waiting, trying to break free.”
Comper explains the narrative: “My great-grandfather had to climb a few mountains to get to Austria in the first place. I see these same mountains when I look out of my windows. These mountains surround me; they’re in me. I think of these mountains as a symbol. I think about how in the olden days if you wanted to go to the next village, you’d have to go over these high mountain passes.”
The single is taken from Tilda, which is due out on 9th October 2026. The forthcoming album is a concept piece about the life of his grandmother; it is powerful music, inspired by dark Appalachian folk and bluegrass and channelled through Comper’s home in the lonesome forests of the Austrian Alps. Though intense, personal and often bleak, these songs are threaded through with hope and humanity. Immerse yourself.
