Dermot Henry Announces Debut Album ‘Bad Throw, Good Catch’
The Wiltshire-born songwriter recorded the album live to tape with producer Dom Monks in Frome.
Dermot Henry has announced his debut album, Bad Throw, Good Catch, due digitally November 20 via Island Records. The Wiltshire-born singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has also shared “I Love You, That’s All,” the album’s second single, following “(I Wish I Was) Ennio Morricone.”
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The new song builds from a piano ballad to a full-band crescendo. Henry explained that it began as a response to anxiety about events around him: “I wrote this song when I was scared about the world last year. It seems like it’s gotten worse since then. It’s easy to slip into apathy and hopelessness and in this song I was trying to remind myself that connection, community and love are so important to getting around this.”
Henry recorded the album live with his band, straight to tape, with producer Dom Monks, whose credits include Laura Marling and Big Thief. Sessions took place at Monks’ studio in Frome, a 15-minute drive from Henry’s childhood home. “I had the beautiful privilege of making this album with some of my closest friends, family, and wonderful collaborators,” Henry said. He described an open-ended approach to the sessions: “I am not someone who can conceive an end goal which meant us following the way the songs were leading, thus ending up at a conclusion that felt like it always had existed to me.”
Conversations are a recurring source of material for Henry, who keeps notes of remarks that make him laugh or prompt a feeling. His 93-year-old grandfather is a particular influence, supplying observations that Henry writes down after their conversations. Family members also appear on the recordings: his mother provides backing vocals on “Your Love Is A Lifetime,” while his grandfather can be heard on the closing track, “Now, Forever,” singing part of the West Country folk song “The Vly Be On The Turmut,” also known as “The Fly Be On The Turnip.”
Henry said humor has a place alongside the record’s more emotional moments. “It’s the trade-off between goofiness and earnestness,” he explained. “If music is over-earnest and trying too hard to be emotional it’s boring. Life isn’t like that. It can be, but it’s such a varied experience, so listening to music should be like that as well.”
