Best known for his work in acclaimed JOVM mainstay act The Orielles, Halifax, UK-born, Manchester-based singer/songwriter and guitarist Henry Carlyle stepped out into the spotlight as a solo artist last year with his debut single “The Ground,” a song that found The Orielles co-founder eschewing the disco floor strobe lights for thoughtful and lived-in lyricism and an intimate, dusty, lo-fi-like production.
Described by Carlyle as “a song about displacement,” the song’s origins can be traced back to a winter day in which the Halifax-born, Manchester-based singer/songwriter and guitarist began writing down his fractious thoughts of his unanchored passing through time and space. “It was inspired by floating through the universe and through time bouncing off events and other humans, never really knowing where you should be or what you should be doing anyway” Carlyle explained in press notes.
Carlyle’s second solo single “A Bigger Splash,” which sees him collaborating again with Julia Bardo (vocals) and Jack Bogacki (drums), is a strangely euphoric yet uncomfortably intimate song centered around Carlyle’s aching, world wearied delivery, jutting and angular guitar attack paired with a the Halifax-born, Manchester-based artist’s unerring gift for a razor sharp hook. While sonically nodding at Damon Albarn and Pavement among others, the song’s relatively young narrator seemingly struggling with the difficulties of existence — as we all are these days.
Written as a by-product of “going through stuff and nothing the time to think properly,” Carlyle explains that “I was thinking how these formative years might affect people as they move on. Which is why the song’s initial musical idea stuck with me and interested me a lot as a theme; it fluctuates between two keys, the end improvisation being the ultimate meditation in that idea. it all feels as I felt, in turmoil.”
“The lyrics are mostly about self-medicating, trying to instantly feel better for a transient moment and then reeling from that for a longer period of time than the intended relief,” Carlyle adds. “Which is why the chorus only comes once and is only two lines long. Nothing good lasts too long and goodness changes all the time.”
The accompanying video which is shot in a dark room, features Carlyle’s face reflected against a collection of water — perhaps his tub or his sink. The end result is a video that evokes the same sense of turmoil and struggle as the song does.