Dermot Henry announces debut EP Aiming Torches At The Sun, shares two new songs

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Alongside the announcement, the 23-year-old has also shared two tracks from the record: lead single “My Favourite Book Is One I’ve Read A Bunch” and a B-side, “Little Rib”.

The former, says Henry, was written “whilst apart from everyone I love. I spent a lot of time away from home last year. This is one of the only true love songs I have written, although it is more like a song of reassurance; love, when not able to manifest itself in physical attraction or time spent together, must be trusted to be lying still with intention.”

The more contemplative “Little Rib” takes a different turn. Henry explains: “the fact we are on a rock in nothingness and our molecules are able to connect with other people’s molecules is absurd. Sometimes the only way to approach this is through absurdity.”

Raised on his parents’ records – from The Beatles and Tom Waits to Nina Simone – Henry cut his teeth busking in Paris during a year abroad for his degree. A chance encounter in a bar, where he jumped on stage to help a stranger recall the words to Elizabeth Cotten’s “Freight Train”, led to a lasting musical partnership.

The EP was recorded in Frome with Dom Monks, whose credits include Big Thief, Michael Kiwanuka, and Laura Marling. Henry has been steadily building a live reputation, too: he supported Jacob Alon at London’s Roundhouse on 18 April, followed by a sold-out debut headline show at Folklore in Hoxton on 20 April. Festival slots including The Great Escape, Latitude, Green Man and Boardmasters are also booked.