Hugh Harris Debut Album Is A Highly Personal Impetus Of Experiences Past

Hugh Harris, known as the guitarist from happy-go-lucky Indie rock band The Kooks, has released his first solo project: a self-titled, and emotionally rich, album. Here, we see a highly personal impetus of experiences past. It feels almost too intimate for us to peer into the looking glass of a man who was previously brought to fame by chirpy earworms ‘Naïve’ and ‘She Moves In Her Own Way’. With this standalone solo release, however, Harris provides a lyrical connection that feels completely distinct.

From the album’s soft starting point with opening track ‘Intro’, Harris introduces a synth-pop dreamy style which really sets the scene for a meaningful collection of tracks. It’s not unlike Swim Deep and Jaws, but still shines with that powerful emotional connection, which Harris clearly holds with each of these songs.

The album gushes with sentiment and passion; it’s a clear retrospect of Harris’ life which, after losing both his parents in the space of one year, could never have been described as easy. He talks about this process of recording the album, stating, “The hard work is done, it’s not mine anymore. I’ve put it down, it’s a weight off my shoulders and it’s exactly how I want it to sound”. He describes the album as “the perfect record to describe (his) experiences and life”.

In 12 tracks, we experience the journey of an artist who presents himself up for scrutiny and, as a result, perhaps cracks a forsaken code of music production. Harris takes a meaningful first dip into the world of solo debuts. Maybe all music should inject this level of honesty.