Back home and looking forward to a bright future.
A move to LA in 2021 inspired Henry Grace’s debut album “Alive in America”, which brought the London-born singer-songwriter plenty of admirers. He returned home after studying literature at Berkeley with a collection of new experiences which formed the building blocks for “Things Are Moving All Around Me”. Recorded live to tape at Middle Farm Studios in Devon and co-produced by Mystery Jets’ Blaine Harrison, the album shows a musician evolving to embrace a full-band setting. Grace and Harrison met at a songwriting retreat organised by Chris Difford, which inspired the pair to work on a bunch of songs Grace had been writing.
Second albums can be notoriously difficult, but Grace had no concerns about producing the record. “It had wings from the start”, he said. “Making records is meant to be difficult, and I’m not saying this was easy, but throughout the whole process, it felt like there was a force willing these songs into existence.”
There are influences here, but there’s also an original sense of yearning in each of the ten tracks. ‘Rust’ kicks things off, carried on by a heavy drum beat. The hook-laden ‘Say Something Mean’ is one of four singles released from the album; the latest ‘California Rain’ looks back on time spent in LA over a characteristically dreamy backing.
There’s little doubt that his heart is in his hometown, which is clearly demonstrated in ‘This is the Place’, recorded on a four-track Tascam to obtain a sound reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska.” Things start quietly but then build on its acoustic intro to develop into a full tapestry of sound with strings, synthesisers and guitars. ‘Passing Through’ provides another Springsteen reference point with its driving beat reminiscent of the Boss’s “Born In the USA” period. The album closes with ‘Days Like This’, which neatly sums up the journey Grace has been on “California was a friend of mine, saw me through the brightest of times” Now he’s home, he can look forward to the future with confidence.
