Henry Green is betrayed by his name. The 19-year-old carries an outlook that both highlights and cements his unique life position.
Henry works weekdays at his local Cafe in a country English town, but spends his weekends in Europe. Since his breakaway cover of MGMT’s Electric Feel, the producer has been living with a foot in two worlds. His distinctiveness is in contrast, combining indie, folk and electronica with melancholic tunes and lyrics that are beautifully windowed by the production. His debut EP Slow dropped on June 1 to a larger critical response than he could’ve ever expected and heralds his first music video, “Slow”.
Green would likely never seem the type to cross that first hurdle; what qualifies you over others? Electronic music in particular suffers from this problem. Copying and remixing, by its nature is a process that cannot deviate from technological norms. Greens solution is novel and develops his sound. Particularly in his breakaway cover, green emphasises the qualities of his work-creating art as an acoustic musician and an electronic one and trying to examine the combinations that result in a non-traditional way. This lends his slow, melodic beats an ethereal quality that almost cling to the acoustic guitar.
His newest release, Slow, is a 4 song E.p. that solidifies and gives shape to his music and his influences. His ambient mix of electronic, distorted soul vocals with loud, intermitted beats creates a sound that calls back loneliness, love, and half-remembered dreams. Green has developed through this E.p. which will hopefully cement his process and his sound. Ideally, I’d want to see far more from Green as he develops his place in the scene. These songs show a producer trying to find his feet, and they display both his youth and his confidence very well.
Check back in Wednesday for Emily Holland’s interview with Henry. Also, find where to catch Henry Green live here.