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Toronto-based ‘nearly instrumental’ group, The Henrys, were confronted with a ‘singer supply chain issue’ during the pandemic, leading Don Rooke, who formerly ‘spoke’ with guitars, to focus on singing and lyrics.
The result of this period is the band’s new LP, Shrug, which examines introspection while continuing to actively occupy The Henrys’ unique musical space between genres including folk, roots, jazz, and pop.
Shrug features “A Night Beyond Repair,” which charts a kind of longing and feeling of searching through different stages of life. Rooke describes its inspiration coming from “feelings about the American south, the Canadian north, the environment, life/work, and ending up in the right place.”
The song glides along with a soft spoken vocal, languid guitars, and tumbling drums, experimenting with a quasi-psychedelic feeling through its instrumental sections.
The whole album is a truly idiosyncratic work. Flowing from the mind of a perceptive songwriter. Each song works to build on the whole project. Creating a world to get lost in even though you might be confounded by some of the sonic directions it takes you.
