HBS is the work of Ben Shepherd, arguably best known as the longtime bass player with Seattle legends Soundgarden. On his solo debut In Deep Owl, Shepherd rightfully opts to walk to his own beat. At times backed by a full band delving into odd time signatures, other tracks are completely simplistic in their approach and that is what makes the record such a great listen. On tracks like Veritas and Stone Pale, Shepherd’s vocals recall Mark Lanigan. But it is the combination of Shepherd’s vocals, his lyrics and the instrumentation (or lack thereof), which ultimately help paint a picture that is both haunting and vivid.