CD

Keaton Henson is shedding the quiet boy persona that has defined much of his career. Embracing the grunge-infused sounds of his youth on new album Parader, the elusive songwriter melds emotional darkness, melancholy, and seething frustration as he reckons with the hauntings of his past: I was nervous about being too loud, but then it sort of just came out.

What unravels across Paraders 12 tracks is an introspective autopsy of time as it distorts and folds to inhabit the songwriters present. There are these disjointed snapshots, he shares, memories across time popping up amongst this collection of thoughts about what it feels like to be this age and a musician.

Parader has legitimate confidence, its not me pretending to be anything Im not, Henson admits. Its maybe just me accepting that part of me is this. It’s louder and it has those bigger, louder, rasher sounds, but not from a performative point of view. Maybe I’m accepting that that is a part of me as well. As the record closes out, final track Performer brings us full circle to the question of the albums title the two intrinsically linked. As he sings, Ill show my scars to you no matter who you are, Henson acknowledges the emotional pains of being a musician in the public eye, with the relentless march of time a grudging ally in delivering his stories: I am the parader. The person who parades around showing their wounds for a living.

Far Out – “Henson is effuse with sensitive expression, and his latest album House Party proves that

Why Now House Party is a testament to Keaton Hensons personal artistic path; a feat of introspection on a whole new level and a fascinating take on his cultish fame and public persona

Gigwise – “Chartering into new depths of delicate storytelling”

Tracklist:

1. Dont I Just
2. Insomnia
3. Lazy Magician (feat. Julia Steiner)
4. Past It
5. Conversation Coach
6. Furl (feat. Danielle Fricke)
7. Loose Ends
8. Operator
9. Tell Me So
10. Tourniquet
11. Day In New York
12. Performer