Anthony Asher-Yates’ "Deep Dream Folk" album *Madre, Llena De Amor!“ - released just a few weeks ago— is a heartfelt exploration of the essence of Mother Earth.
Following in the tradition of artists like Devendra Banhart, José González, and David Pajo, the album reflects experiences of love, grief, loss, and personal growth.
His latest album, *Soñador“ - released on Le Mont Analogue and serving as a form of balm—addresses A.A. Yates’ experiences with healing through music, encounters with plant medicine, and attempts to process the traces of childhood violence. It, too, can be understood as a deeply personal work and an invitation, carrying the hope that his music will reach the quiet, painful places within others and perhaps inspire them to embark on their own journeys toward wholeness.
„ 'Soñador' (Dreamer) is a deeply personal album reflecting Bålsam's decade-long journey in the jungles of Colombia. It explores healing through music, experiences with plant medicines, and the impact of childhood bullying. Key themes include a profound connection with someone during a time of loss and discovering new ways to express himself. The album features heartfelt contributions, including a voice message from his mother and a track with his 5-year-old daughter. Sharing a part of his soul in hopes it resonates and inspires others on their own journeys.
The jungle does not whisper; it sings. A chorus of cicadas, the rustle of unseen creatures, the distant rush of the river—it was a symphony that found its way into the marrow of his bones. For many years, Anthony lived within that green cathedral, not as a visitor, but as a student. The humid air carried more than the scent of damp earth and blooming orchids; it carried the ancient wisdom of the Shamans and Medicine Women who became his guides, and the quiet dignity of communities who taught him that healing is not a destination, but a rhythm, a pulse in sync with the earth itself.
This album, *Soñador*, is the map of that internal terrain. It began not with a melody, but with a silence—the hollow echo of childhood taunts that had followed him even into the wilderness. The journey was to excavate those buried hurts, not with a shovel, but with the gentle, terrifying tools of plant medicines and vulnerable conversation. He learned that to truly feel the jungle’s song, he first had to listen to the broken notes within.
The most profound connection came during a time of deep personal loss. In the shared space of grief with another, he discovered a language beyond words—a communion of spirits that taught him new ways to express the inexpressible. This experience became the heartwood of the album, a testament to how love and loss can carve channels for grace to flow through.
*Soñador* is woven with voices that are chapters of his soul. There is a track, raw and trembling, that features his five-year-old daughter’s voice—a sound pure and unburdened, a future he is healing for. And then, there is his mother’s voice. A simple voice message, played straight, without adornment. In it, she speaks truths held for a lifetime, words of familial patterns and silent pains finally given air. Her voice, cracking with age and courage, does not just accompany his healing; it announces her own. It is the sound of a chain breaking.
Bålsam has stepped fully into his vulnerability. The man who once might have armored himself with volume now trusts the power of a whisper, the strength in a tremolo. This album is that courage made audible. It is not a performance; it is an offering—a significant piece of his soul pressed into digital form.
He sends *Soñador* out into the world not as a finished lesson, but as a shared campfire. He hopes its melodies find the quiet, hurting places in others and sit with them. He hopes the rhythm of his journey might encourage a single listener to begin their own, to listen to their own jungle, their own heart, and to dare to dream of wholeness. For the dreamer, he has learned, is not one who escapes reality, but one who is brave enough to reshape it from the inside out.
Bandcamp / le Mont analogue
released June 26, 2026
All tracks produced by Anthony Asher-Yates.
Audio mastering by Tom Lievens.
Cover art design by Anthony Asher-Yates.
