photos by Dave French
“…it is immediately clear that SEMANTRON is led by a force of nature with a singular vision.” – Everything Is Noise
Yob drummer Dave French unveils “Prisoner Of The Sun,” the second single from his lush new ambient solo project, SEMANTRON, and its entrancing debut LP, Secrets Of A Krummholz Heart. The song arrives through a visualizer, now playing exclusively at Everything Is Noise.
In the Winter of 2023, Dave French rented an off-grid cabin at the foot of Mount Adams in Washington State, where he began recording the core guitar tracks for fifteen songs. Six of those pieces became SEMANTRON’s debut, Secrets Of A Krummholz Heart. The title draws on the alpine phenomenon of krummholz—trees near the limits of survival that become bent and twisted by relentless wind and harsh weather. For French, the image became a metaphor: a heart shaped by the forces of life yet still rooted and alive.
Secrets Of A Krummholz Heart was fully performed by Dave French, recording acoustic foundations in the mountain cabin before completing drums, bass, electric guitars, and vocals between his home studio and the Yob rehearsal space. Acoustic and electric textures merge with field recordings gathered from the natural world: ravens and owls, alpine wind, rivers, stone percussion from mountain talus slopes, rhythms played on living trees, and even the slow dripping of meltwater from an Icelandic glacier. The record was mixed by Nathan Yaccino (Soundgarden, Norah Jones, A Storm Of Light), mastered by Tad Doyle (Tad, Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth), and completed with art/layout by French.
“Prisoner Of The Sun” arrives with a psychedelic new visualizer created by French, who writes, “Not everything we hear in our heads is true. ‘Prisoner Of The Sun’ explores the pitfalls of unconscious devotion. The chasing of a dream, a carrot, or a debilitating affliction—each wears a rut into the world around us, to the exclusion of whatever else might have been.”
Everything Is Noise proclaims within their engaging write-up of the song and overall project, “Having performed all of the instruments on the record in addition to handling the compositions in solitude, it is immediately clear that SEMANTRON is led by a force of nature with a singular vision. Even if the song runs for only a hair over two and a half minutes, it encases a world of its own within itself. Musically a mixture of folk, droning post-rock, and ambient with a selection of other distinct hues, ‘Prisoner Of The Sun’ is an effective exciter for Secrets Of A Krummholz Heart as whole. If a single track like this is enough to capture one’s attention, you can just imagine what’s waiting around the corner in terms of the six-track full-length.”
Explore SEMANTRON’s “Prisoner Of The Sun” video now playing exclusively at Everything Is Noise RIGHT HERE.
Secrets Of A Krummholz Heart will be released digitally and on LP on July 10th. Digital and US vinyl preorders can be found on SEMANTRON’s Bandcamp where “At The Feet Of Friendship” is also playing HERE, and EU vinyl preorders are live at Evil Greed HERE.
French has booked several SEMANTRON performances in support of the album’s release, including a record release show in Seattle on July 10th where he’ll be backed by a full band, with additional support from the mighty Tad Doyle. He’ll also perform solo SEMANTRON sets while supporting Steve Von Till playing Spokane, Pioneertown, and Cottonwood in August. Further live updates will post shortly.
SEMANTRON Live:
7/10/2026 The Rabbit Box – Seattle, WA *Album Release Show w/ Tad Doyle
8/19/2026 The Big Dipper – Spokane, WA w/ Steve Von Till
8/23/2026 Pappy & Harriet’s – Pioneertown, CA w/ Steve Von Till
8/26/2026 Queen B – Cottonwood, AZ w/ Steve Von Till
Dave French has not only performed around the globe as a member of Yob, he’s played drums with Tad Doyle’s Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth, been a live collaborator with Steve Von Till and his Harvestman project, produced records for members of Soundgarden, and much more throughout his life in music. For several years, he’s been traveling with a classical guitar, writing songs in backstages and hotels, during ferry crossings, in remote landscapes, and quiet moments on the road. These pieces gradually evolved into SEMANTRON. The project’s name comes from an ancient monastic instrument: a plank of beech wood struck rhythmically with branches to call monks to meditation. The word itself is so old that its original pronunciation has long been lost to time. French chose the name because the music shares a similar purpose—slow, resonant, and meditative.
The result is deeply immersive music that unfolds patiently, drawing the listener into a meditative landscape of sound. The result is immersive and deeply personal music—patient, atmospheric, and elemental—echoing the expansive spirit of Pink Floyd and the ritualistic beauty of Dead Can Dance.
But SEMANTRON is not a side project. Secrets Of A Krummholz Heart is the first chapter of a body of work Dave French has been quietly cultivating for nearly four decades. Fans of Steve Von Till/Harvestman, Dead Can Dance, Pink Floyd, Earth, Brian Eno, and Nest will want to embrace this project now, as much more is in store for the months and years ahead.
https://semantron.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/_semantron
https://www.facebook.com/SEMANTR0N
https://www.youtube.com/@Semantron_band