Melanie MacLaren - “Henry Hudson”
When we last heard from Melanie MacLaren, it was November and she was serenading us with one of our favorite finds of 2022: “Dissociating at a Tiki Bar in a Landlocked State.” But now she’s back, lads and lasses, with a fresh EP of your future favorites, entitled Tourist, due out next month. And as luck would have it, she’s offered a glimpse into it with the folksy number, “Henry Hudson.”
Prepare yourselves for some of the absolute finest finger-plucking that’s ever come out of an acoustic guitar, because you get quite the hefty earful of it before MacLaren lets her vocals take the spotlight. After being on tour for a few months, we’re wondering when she found the time to lay this one down, but she’s at her very best here, with lines of lyrics flowing out of her in that Phoebe Bridgers/Julien Baker sort of way– absolutely remarkable.
As the song moves forward, we are joined by strings that add a peaceful backdrop to MacLaren’s storytelling, and the melody ensues, occasionally accompanied by some sweetly placed harmonies. When “Henry Hudson” enters its crescendo, our ears are greeted by some bass and gentle percussion and even more strings that elevate the production to its peak before gently bringing it back home again to that glorious acoustic guitar. What a great way to begin the month of March. Press play on this thing.
-TM