Described as a songwriter “somewhere between Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams,” New York’s Nico Hedley has lent his talents to a number of bands (including playing bass for Ben Seretan), though has for the most part kept his own songs close to his chest. This summer sees that change, Hedley joining forces with fledgling label Whatever’s Clever Records to finally release his own music into the world.
Released as a 7″ single, Late Bloomer / Hydrangeas is a fitting welcome into Nico Hedley’s world, the tracks diverging in terms of style yet linked by a common spirit, an attention to the textures of things, the minute movements and sparks of life. The differences in sound are unsurprising, the release serving as something of a study, investigations that trace future possibilities and directions. “These two songs were written and recorded in my bedroom while learning to use an 8 track reel to reel machine,” Hedley explains. “They are experiments in stream of consciousness songwriting, controlled chaos, and seeing how broken a guitar can sound.”
A lesson in patient folk, A-side ‘Late Bloomer’ submerses itself in rich blend of timbres, the relaxed yet intimate sound carving a space in which urgent thoughts can unspool with an unhurried grace. Think of the melancholy of a late summer’s night, beams of halogen glow cutting through the dark on an empty street, bits and bugs and tumbling motes of dust caught briefly, beautiful in their fall, before returning the dark.
Hold me to the things I said
Spend hours with my regrets
Hide out with the most of it
Sleep tight darling I hope you did
Oh won’t you wait? I did
I’m a late bloomer too
We’re lucky enough to be able to share a video for ‘Late Bloomer’ in support of the release. Directed by Esy Casey, the video captures the modest, low-lit majesty of the track, Hedley alone but visited by past scenes and experiences.
B-side ‘Hyrangeas’, which, incidentally, can be found on the fantastic new GoldFlakePaint compilation, is altogether more urgent, Adam Robinson’s saxophone lending an unhinged edge to a track that rises and rises until its haunting the roof beams.
Late Bloomer / Hydrangeas is out on the 31st May via Whatever’s Clever and you can pre-order it now.
Photo by Phillippe de Sablett, album art by Benedict Kupstas