Keaton Henson has chosen to inhabit a parallel version of himself in his upcoming LP, House Party. A celebrated musician, artist, poet and composer, Keaton is perhaps best known for his beautifully fragile and personal explorations of anxiety, separation, mental illness and loss across the six studio albums since his 2010 debut ‘Dear…’ Despite critical acclaim and a fervent cult following, Keaton has always been shrouded by an air of mystery, having largely avoided interviews and social media… until now.
House Party is due for release on 9th June and reveals Keaton as you’ve never heard him before in a conceptual and sonic departure. First single ‘Envy’, is available to download and stream here and watch here:
In House Party, the parallel version of Keaton imagines an artist who aggressively pursued fame and all its trappings. This narrator, who is embodied by the pink-suited Keaton, also allows the real artist to explore his own story and motivation over the course of twelve stunning and pop-driven tracks.
Keaton said: “I wanted to make an upbeat confident pop record about depression and being a performer, written from the viewpoint of an artist who has hollowed himself out over a long career in the name of success, an alternate universe version of me, who is left empty and lonely from climbing to the top, but is still only able to express these feelings in the language of confident, performative pop songs.”
In the tender ache of lead single, ‘Envy’, it’s almost as if this character is falling apart in front of the real Keaton’s eyes, as he explains: “Everything these days is so performative and aspirational, and we all seem to live in envy of people and lives that aren’t ours and we’re convinced would solve all our problems and feelings of emptiness. It’s about getting to the place where you always wanted to be, and were convinced would make everything better, and realising it hasn’t worked, and the scary realisation that no amount of money or success or fame will.
I think the guy in the song has forsaken all his friendships and meaningful relationships to get to this place in his life or career, and now, realising it was never going to make him happy, is lamenting his loneliness and the wasted years, and trying to warn others away from the same way of thinking.”
The album was teased at the end of last year as Keaton launched his TikTok with a selection of pop covers, ranging from Taylor Swift to Boys II Men, that were eventually released as an EP, Keaton’s Party Playlist.
House Party is available on CD, LP & digital formats on the 9th June via Play it again Sam. Pre-order here.
Keaton Henson – House Party tracklist:
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- I’m Not There
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- Rain In My Favourite House
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- Envy
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- The Meeting Place
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- Two Bad Teeth
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- Stay
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- Late To You
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- Parking Lot
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- Holiday
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- The Mine
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- Hooray
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- Hide Those Feelings
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