Keaton Henson’s upcoming album Parader marks a daring sonic shift, mixing introspective lyricism with the grunge-tinged textures of his youth. With manufacturing assist from Luke Sital-Singh and Alex Farrar, the document explores themes of ageing, identification, and emotional transparency by way of a lens each nostalgic and defiant. The discharge of “Previous It” and “Free Ends” provides a compelling preview of the duality that defines the album’s emotional and musical core.
Based on a press launch from Keaton Henson’s administration, “Previous It” and “Free Ends” The tracks would be the final to come back forward of the albums launch on 21st Nov through Play It Once more Sam.
Parader marks Henson’s ninth studio album and his first since 2024’s Somnambulant Cycles. It additionally follows his current return single “Lazy Magician” (co-written by Ratboys’ Julia Steiner), which was launched in July, incomes assist from the likes of Rolling Stone UK, Crack, The Line Of Finest Match, The New Cue, Stereogum, Beneath The Radar, and GoldFlakePaint, who stated it hinted “at a daring new chapter on the horizon; a stressed and romantic re-defining.”
Whereas that single nodded to Henson starting to shed the “quiet boy” persona that has outlined a lot of his profession – if we’re to omit his myriad efforts composing for movie and theatre, an digital facet challenge, his classical choices, his illustration and writing work – the brand new album sees him totally embracing the grunge-infused sounds of his youth. This was expanded upon together with his final single “Insomnia”, which was introduced alongside the brand new album and noticed Henson entwining aching self-observation with a defiance he phrases as “musical snark”.
At this time’s new songs “Previous It” and “Free Ends” seize the 2 ends of Henson’s journey each personally and musically throughout the forthcoming document. The primary, a nostalgia-soaked analysis of his profession as a musician, is delivered by way of a crackling, lo-fi hum paying homage to Christian Lee Hutson or Phoebe Bridgers. Whereas awash with self-doubt, the self-reflective daydream is permeated by an understanding of his personal wants. “This one’s a bit meta,” says Henson. “It’s me taking a look at ageing and rising older as a musician. But in addition reflecting on the entire thought of a 37-year-old man singing the sorts of songs I sing, particularly the best way I’m on this album. Typically you possibly can catch your reflection whereas writing songs and I’ve these ideas, normally ending with questioning if anybody will even hear it.”
The latter of the 2 tracks “Free Ends”, sees him as soon as once more revisiting that musical snark from the final single, carrying a American garage-rock undercurrent within the lurking distortion and its combative rhythm, the taunting cry of “Oh me, oh my” bears an argumentative edge in its sardonic darkish tone. “It’s referential of music from my youth,” continues Henson. “The type of early 2000s rock bands from America. It’s fairly sarcastic. It’s about feeling such as you’re guilting somebody into staying with you. It’s fairly snarky, self-loathing and darkish, perhaps contrasting the enjoyable of the music”.
WATCH/SHARE THE LYRIC VIDEO FOR “PAST IT”:
These acquainted with Henson’s work will certainly be conversant in his well-worn status as a softly spoken, introverted determine who hardly ever performs reside – in a 15-year profession he’s carried out lower than 40 occasions. Since rising together with his debut document Pricey… in 2010, Henson has garnered important popularity of his mastery at weaving heart-on-sleeve vulnerability into emotionally poignant, folk-tinged outpourings. No stranger to anxiousness’s heavy weight, he’s earned a loyal fan base from a self-imposed distance – shying from the highlight to supply up the finite a part of himself he’s keen to offer away. “Unhappiness I suppose” he as soon as confessed, “is a sense of which I’ve an extra of.”
What unravels throughout Parader’s 12 tracks is an introspective post-mortem of time because it distorts and folds to change and inhabit the songwriter’s current. “There are these disjointed snapshots,” he explains, “reminiscences throughout time popping up amongst this assortment of ideas about what it feels prefer to be this age and a musician.”
These glimpses of Henson’s previous, whether or not channelled in his lyrics or musically uncovered in sneering riffs, may begin to defy preconceptions of our reclusive balladeer. In a nod to his tender tone, Henson’s oft-met comparability to Elliott Smith, whereas The Unbiased as soon as dubbed him the “British Jeff Buckley”, however, just like the aforementioned pair, his early beginnings additionally took root in far heavier sounds. “Previous to being a largely quiet musician I performed in hardcore and emo bands,” he shares. It’s these snapshots of time that run amok on Parader, nostalgic distortions splintering the timeline’s once-linear path.
To piece Parader collectively, Henson collaborated with a wealth of expertise who might harness these influences and convey them into the sunshine. Manufacturing duties have been cut up between Luke Sital-Singh, who Henson quickly found “grew up in an analogous space at an analogous time, so our reference factors have been the identical,” and Alex Farrar (Wednesday/Snail Mail): “the king of that loud, snarky American DIY sound.” The intimately tender “Furl” additionally discovered a first-time co-writer in his spouse, artist and musician Danielle Fricke, whereas Henson labored with Ratboys’ Julia Steiner on the sooner talked about “Lazy Magician” A downtrodden duet that unfolds like a haunting daydream earlier than winding guitars soar, Henson explains: “Julia’s voice is so evocative of that sound to me, it jogs my memory of after I first heard Rilo Kiley. She has lots of the suburban magic-realism of the American bands I liked again then.”
From early days in London and his profession as a visible artist – illustrating for the likes of Enter Shikari, Dananananaykroyd, and Oli Sykes’ Drop Useless – to the overwhelm of musical renown and his retreat from LA, to the right here and now; 37 years outdated, married, chopping wooden within the quietude of his countryside dwelling, there’s a wealth of life expertise for Henson to attract from. But on this second, he comes considerably full circle with apparitions of a younger Keaton loitering outdoors the native skate store, an adolescent catching American punk bands within the suburbs of London. “It’s positively pulling from the issues I listened to after I was a younger, however they’re being spat out by way of the lens of me and my profession now. The album is sort of a bizarre ‘me’ model of that stuff musically.”
Beneath the burden of this poignant introspection, it’s arduous to disregard that Henson’s ruminations additionally harbor traces of earned expertise. Of the aching exasperation recurring all through Parader, Henson notes, “there’s lots of frustration within the document at not having conquered life, or my typically mutinous mind” And but, it’s this honesty, earnestly dispatched by way of heartwrenching outpourings, that make the document really feel quintessentially Keaton Henson. Nonetheless, Parader has professional confidence. “It’s not me pretending to be something I’m not,” Henson explains. “I believe it’s simply me accepting that a part of me is this. It’s louder and brasher, however not from a performative standpoint. Perhaps I’m simply accepting that that’s all a part of me as nicely.”
Because the document closes out, remaining monitor “Performer” brings us full circle to the query of the album’s title – the 2 intrinsically linked. As he sings, “I’ll present my scars to you regardless of who you’re,” Henson acknowledges the emotional pains of being a musician within the public eye, with the relentless march of time a grudging ally in delivering his tales: “I’m the parader. The one that parades round displaying their wounds for a dwelling.”
PARADER IS OUT 21ST NOVEMBER VIA PLAY IT AGAIN SAM – PRE-ORDER:
As Parader nears its launch, “Previous It” and “Free Ends” provide followers a hanging preview of Keaton Henson’s evolving sound—one which embraces vulnerability, grit, and a newfound sonic boldness. Whether or not you’ve adopted his journey from the hushed intimacy of Pricey… or are simply discovering his layered world, these newest singles mark a compelling entry level. With the complete album arriving November 21, now’s the time for followers outdated and new to tune in and witness Henson’s most unflinching chapter but.
Tracklisting:
1) Don’t I Simply
2) Insomnia
3) Lazy Magician (ft. Julia Steiner)
4) Previous It
5) Dialog Coach
6) Furl (ft. Danielle Fricke)
7) Free Ends
8) Operator
9) Inform Me So
10) Tourniquet
11) Day In New York
12) Performer
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