Nothing Left Behind is the new album from Will Henriksen and the latest release on Philadelphia label Sleeper Records. When we last featured Will Henriksen back in October, we fawned over his superior brand of bedroom pop where “strings and keyboards elevat[e] the songs beyond the standard bedroom pop fare,” and “maintain the sense of simplicity and intimacy common to the best examples of the genre.” The result, we concluded, is “a sound both distinctive and comfortingly familiar, like the voice of an old friend.”
From the opening slow-dawning instrumental ‘Wait 1’, Nothing Left Behind unfurls in Henriksen’s signature style, soft and deceptively simple as cotton wool clouds. The songs are illuminated from within, a warm glow that brings the gentle melodies into clear relief, but all the while with a slight wistfulness, something accentuated on ‘Wait 1’ by the violin that comes sawing in around the halfway mark.
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As well as the guitar, violin and keyboard from Henriksen himself, the album also features Andrew Keller (bass), Will Kennedy (drums), Jack Washburn (guitar) and Ari Ratner (vocals). This full band setup allows Henriksen to inhabit a diversity of styles, from the German Error Message-esque ‘Goodbye’ to the spacious low-key indie rock of ‘Stone’. But each song still has the Will Henriksen MO stamped all over it. Even the louder moments, where guitars squeal and drums thump, feel restrained and considered. Take ‘Whiteboard’ as an example, in which guitar and percussion build to peaks that threaten to engulf Henriksen’s mumble. Still it takes its own time, running along in an unhurried organic flow.
The final song is the title track, a very pretty slice of minimal indie pop that illustrates everything Henriksen does so well. This time it’s just guitar and Henriksen’s vocals, creating something with a beautiful simplicity. “Easy to erase,” Henriksen sings, “things appear, disappear many ways.”
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Nothing Left Behind is out now on Sleeper Records and you can get it on cassette from their Bandcamp or digitally from the Will Henriksen Bandcamp.
