Henry Morris appeared on our radar at the tail-end of 2023 between swells of alluring melodics with his single “Sweet N Low.” Since then his enthralling and love-locked confessionals, slipping in and out of dusty country twangs and amorous alt-pop, have ended up on both our Best New Songs of the Month playlist and Best New Songs Features. With just six singles under his belt the newly minted solo project of the Los Angeles-based Morris has left us eager for his eventual debut — EP or album — whichever comes first.
If last year was anything to go by, those who’ve discovered in Morris a magnetic conduit of raw romantic yearning can expect him to keep unveiling hit after hit. Last summer he announced his arrival with two singles: emerging aglow and simmering with carnal affection on “He Could Never Love You” and “Dirty Magazine.” His pairing of angst-dripping lyricism and darkly buoyant melodics reaches an ethereal plain on follow-up releases like “Nightclubs in Heaven.”
We are just four months into 2024 and he has already dropped two additional singles: “Taste of Metal,” a hypnotic temptation that haunts as much as it entices, and “Paradise.” Like “Sweet N Low” the latter track rises and falls between cavernous depths and upward-swinging surges. His desirous whispers are swallowed by a tranquilizing wave of atmospherics that calls to mind the potent effects of Cigarettes After Sex.
“Someone told me, ‘if you’re afraid to say it in conversation, put it in a song’ so this song is about a drug talking to a person as if they were two lovers,” Morris said of the single. His words tenderly trace the thin lines that separate unhealthy obsessions and addictions from the sublime feelings they catalyze in us. A potent parallel to love that’s been threaded through all of his singles shared to date.
Although he has yet to hit the tour circuit Morris has managed to captivate fans via his Instagram and YouTube where he posts short clips of his music. That includes live renditions of “Dirty Magazine” and “Sweet N Low,” which are the closest fans have gotten to hearing the emotionally primal tracks in person.
When he finally announces a run of hopefully West Coast tour dates you bet we will be first in line to catch this amalgam of early The Neighborhood and sad-boy pop in the vein of Lana Del Rey — comparisons Morris embraces with open arms. For now, you’ll just have to settle for keeping his soul-seducing collection of singles on repeat.
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Words: Steven Ward
Visit Henry Morris on his Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
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