Henry Nielsen – Hollyhocks (album)

FFO: MJ Lenderman, Brown Horse, John Cale, Sparklehorse

Label / Imprint: Foolproof Union Records

Format: Digital & vinyl album

Press Assets (Google Drive | MP3s, images, press release, links, metadata etc)

“(Nielsen) moved the crowds with his folksy Dylan-meets-Bright Eyes blend of strumming & singing”
The Guardian (live review)

“Henry Nielsen is talented & charismatic… his songs captivate with their sincerity & honesty” Indie Dock Music Blog

Mid-Tier 1970s styled singer-songwriter Henry Nielsen is not the first to pair classic songwriting with a homespun style, but his wise-eye for exploring the inner lives of the characters in his songs, along with a folk-rock sound are uniquely his own.

Since releasing his debut EP Business Partner in late 2024 to critical acclaim, Henry has spent time refining his songwriting & developing his sound, resulting in the self-produced debut album Hollyhocks. Recorded at various locations throughout London, including Basement10 & Hither Green studios, it’s an album that traces the stories of a series of lonely characters, drenched sonically in lap-steel textures, spacey organ riffs & jangly folk-rock guitars.

Henry explains his thoughts on who he feels the album relates to: “you’re at a family party when you realise your uncle hasn’t talked to anyone in over an hour… Hollyhocks is for them”. (see below for his individual track descriptions).

Growing up in North London, Henry took inspiration from Jackson Browne & John Cale, as well as artists from the Greenwich Village folk scene of the sixties like Michael Hurley & Karen Dalton, while more recently from Gillian Welch, MJ Lenderman & Brown Horse. Having played in many indie rock bands, Henry commence work on a debut album, augmenting his guitar & vocals by bringing in Archie Owen on guitar & organ, Emmett Cruddas on bass & Lloyd Haines on drums.

On the live front, having performed at Brainchild Festival, & Strongroom Sessions, Henry will be celebrating the release of the album at MAP Studio Café in North London on May 24^th. Be sure to follow on your preferred socials for future gig announcements & news updates.

Track Descriptions by the artist:

1. 1. Beginning Of The End – This album opener is an infectious, bouncy folk-rock song, telling the tale of a person who can only live on their own terms & struggles to meet the people in his life halfway. With melodic organ fills & tight guitar riffs Beginning Of The End is distinctive, catchy & melancholic.
   2. Little Grey Lies – An alt-rock song heavily influenced by artists like Neil Young and MJ Lenderman, it combines clean, jangly guitar riffs with dirge-like guitar noise. The lyrics explore the inconsequential lies we tell ourselves via an isolated character who is struggling to comprehend whether the events he sees from his perspective are true or part of his imagination… or whether the little grey lies he tells really matter to anyone.
   3. Hollyhocks – A song about loss told from the frame of mind of someone leaving family behind. It weighs up what leaving a place means for the people left behind. The song has a warm analogue tape sound, intimate but with DIY percussion & claps which propelling the song forward into a soft but building rhythm.
   4. Soft As Wool – Lyrics co-written by Henry Nielsen & Jack Dunleavy over a decade ago when Henry first started writing songs. A Christmas song of sorts, Soft As Wool tells the story of a divorced man breaking into his former family home at Christmas. A rich production consisting of lap-steel, Nashville tuned guitars & double bass give this ballad a lush backing to a dark undertone.
   5. Lonesome Life – This track explores the inner monologue of a character questioning his own isolation – did he choose this Lonesome Life? The song combines 1950s drum machine samples & detuned nylon guitars to create a gothic western vibe. Lonesome Life combines a sample from my grandfather’s Cornish choir & a lonesome fiddle riff for the outro.
   6. Brief Outline – A track that explores the inner life of a lonely character falling in love with an ideal rather than an actual person. The song is inspired by both the lap-steel playing of David Lindley on Jackson Browne’s These Days & John Cale’s song Andalucia in terms of its atmosphere. With soaring lap-steel & crunchy guitar chords, the song has an epic feel using an old tape delay on the vocal.
   7. The Way – The Way has a Paul Simon flavour, reminiscent of Cecilia by Simon and Garfunkel. The intimate homespun sound of the song complements its lyric which explores the protagonist’s idea of a quasi-religious conception of what love is & what it demands of us.
   8. Gillian (Mind Over Matter) – Inspired by the otherworldly voice of Gillian Welch, this echoey 50s sounding song imagines a scenario of a bonfire where singers sing around the fire, with the central character being profoundly upstaged by Gillian herself. The song then splits into two, with a snippet of a song called Mind Over Matter floating into the foreground as Gillian drifts away.
   9. Dream Of You – A melancholic, introspective song supported by mandolin & an acoustic guitar strummed with a chunk of cardboard, backing up a tender lead vocal. In the style of a 1950s Roy Orbison ballad but with a folky feel, Dream Of You explores an isolated character who only dreams.

Album Release Launch Party

Sunday 24^th May – MAP Studio Cafe – Kentish Town / London
Tickets    |    Map

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