New Music: Keaton Henson

By Rachel Woodward, September 27 2016 —

Since 2010, British illustrator-turned-musician Keaton Henson has crooned about love, loss and heartache. His classic wavering vocals and incredibly visual lyrics surely contributed to many post-breakup playlists.

This tone doesn’t change on his newest release, Kindly Now — a 12-track album featuring heartbreaking and soft melodies that promise to turn any mood melancholic with the beautiful and quiet falsetto Heaton provides.

Like his first five albums, Henson aims to reach his listeners by exploiting devastating heartbreak and leaving echoes of mourning in his path. While the album is similar to Henson’s existing discography, it fits right in place and will surely satisfy listeners who have followed his career.

In fact, this might be my favourite of his releases. The album starts with “March,” which provides some of the more produced sounds released by the musician yet. It is followed by “Alright,” a familiar sounding plea for love and forgiveness. Henson still attempts to hide behind his words by constantly asking to stay on his own.

The next track is “The Pugilist” — a crushing moment of vulnerability and shame, with lyrics like “You pulled me together, with blood and soft stitches, you’re proof that I’m breathing and that I still need to be loved — and to hear you whisper to me ‘you’re enough’.”

Despite the simplicity and repetition in Henson’s lyrical storytelling, this album fails to bore. There is something enchanting and intriguing about the blatant vulnerability and heartbreak Henson provides. It almost feels too intimate to witness — like a private moment.

Kindly Now is a strong step in the trail of Henson’s career and may be his most emotional album yet. If you’re looking for something soft to listen to while studying or are planning to down an entire bottle of red wine in a moment of sadness, Kindly Now will hold your heart.