London-born singer-songwriter Henry Grace’s latest single, ‘This is the Place’, is an absorbing song that builds incredibly to form a totally immersive anthem for the city he grew up in. After the sparse, acoustic opening – reminiscent of Damien Rice – sonic layers of synths and guitar are slowly introduced. Then, the song is fully launched with a burst of percussion and Grace’s voice, over relentless instrumentation, takes on the gritty urgency of Springsteen. Indeed, Springsteen was the inspiration for using a 4-track Tascam recorder for ‘This is the Place’ and the resulting song feels authentic, dynamic and full of atmosphere.
This is the latest video from Grace’s highly anticipated second album, ‘Things Are Moving All Around Me’, which has just been released. Although the album was years in the making, Grace notes, “It had wings from the start. 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.” The album sees the evolution of Grace from solo artist to leader of a finely-tuned band. He explains: “While these songs might tell the story of the past three years, of the people and places that inspired me, of heartache, of moving home, of hope in new beginnings, of turning thirty, of wanting more from my life and myself as a person, of running down a dream, this record, to me, tells the story of a band striving to create something far greater than ourselves. Everyone gave everything to making this, and for that I am forever thankful.” Check out the album – fabulous songwriting and a captivating sound.
