Hayden Thorpe - He
Following the previous gorgeous single "They," Hayden Thorpe now released the equally enthralling "He." Both tracks are in his upcoming album Ness, due September 27th via Domino Records. We came across the eclectic British singer/songwriter in 2021 when he utterly charmed us with "Metafeeling," and his album Moondust For My Diamond. Aside from his exquisite use of various instruments, it is mainly his vocals that mesmerize me. This is music that is caressing and exciting at the same time!
Asked about the new single, Hayden says:
“I loved the swagger and strut of Rob’s lines [Robert Macfarlane] in the 'He' chapter, they immediately brought to mind the cock-sure attitude of a Rolling Stones track. I went about creating a jaunty let-it-all-hang-out sort of song. It’s a maximalist approach - the more I gave it, the greedier it got. Production wise this was probably the biggest undertaking. You know things have gotten broad when you’re miking up a sackbut (a 15th century early trombone) and a spinet (a small 17th century harpsichord). It was a lot of fun working with Propellor’s brass section and the recording became a crash course in studio engineering. The power and drama of orchestral waveforms rubbing up against modern sounds are a haunted house for the ear.
The track begins with a sample of Rob reading. I became really interested in that netherworld between word and song. 'Under Milk Wood' and 'Ulysses' both operate similarly - the lines are almost melodic. I wanted to reveal the innerworkings of that process.”
Listen to "He," our Song Pick of the Day, and watch the Sam Potter-directed video featuring much of the flora and fauna native to Ness
Connect with Hayden Thorpe and add "He" to your playlist as we add it to our #glamglarepick playlist on Spotify and YouTube. Listen to our Song Pick of the Day on Spotify or Apple Music.
