Description
Vincent H.L may look like a slack dude who sits around all day eating chicken chips and bananas, but actually he’s spent a good part of the last three years creating the psych country soundtrack to your tramadol nightmares.
His debut album Weird Days came out 29 June, through 1:12 Records. On the album’s sound, Vincent says: “I like country music and doom metal, so the initial idea was to try and make the sensibilities from both genres work together. In places it’s got a tired woozy feeling, sort of like a golden hangover day. And in other places it gets a little bit spaghetti western...”
Vincent H.L has been making music around Auckland for ages. He fronted stomping garage blues trio Whipping Cats, and has smashed keys for The Conjurors. He currently plays with the gents in Magic Factory, and has been spotted singing Townes Van Zandt songs to lonely strangers in dive bars from time
to time.
Weird Days is Vincent’s first time going solo, and he’s done so in the truest sense of the word. He wrote, performed, recorded and mixed the album at whatever house he was living in, with additional mixing by James Dansey and mastering by Olly Harmer, Vincent H.L has crafted a refreshingly unusual sound. The album art, by Sewer Powers, is a collaboration between himself and friend Charles Cumming.
Vincent H.L’s live performances do usually require a little help, though. For those, he teams up with Bozo’s Hariet Ellis on bass, Drummer Dan Ward (of The Sneaks, Droor, Cate LeBon fame) and Magic Factory co-star Matt Short on guitar.
Weird Days is an eclectic mix of psychedelic country and fuzzed out doom metal riffs held together with a valium feel and Vincent’s late night strung out vocal delivery.