THOMAS BENSDORP
Single "ENDLESS GROWTH"ft. Tessa Rose JacksonOUT NOW - LISTEN HERE
"HALF A HOUSE"
Full-length album
Release SOON
Single "ENDLESS GROWTH"ft. Tessa Rose JacksonOUT NOW - LISTEN HERE
"HALF A HOUSE"
Full-length album
Release SOON
There's a recurring image that haunts the songs found on Amsterdam-based songwriter Thomas Bensdorp's upcoming debut album, Half a House: an imagined or remembered home. A once shared place of living, that might not be remembered quite the same way by two different people. 'There's a place on the riverbank between your mind and mine / A house remade out of memories where each in turn spends time,' he sings on opener Endless Growth, a song about someone desperately trying to break a habit of living in the past. Many songs on the album are miniature portraits of people struggling with various kinds of ghosts, from the present or past, and not seldom of their own making. At times these stories sound almost confessional; at other times they are told through the eyes of friends and loved ones, revealing the complexities of trying to manage relationships with people who are dealing with personal problems.
Recorded almost entirely at home, Half a House combines the intimate sound of folk-pop with ear-catching melodies and subtle, detailed arrangements. Bensdorp's warm, soft-spoken vocals and fingerpicked guitar — reminiscent of artists like Nick Drake, Elliott Smith or Sufjan Stevens — are complemented by an array of carefully chosen sounds, including gently pulsating synths, banjos and mandolins, flutes, sparingly used drums and moody electronic soundscapes. Several tracks feature guest vocalists such as Tessa Rose Jackson and Robin Block, delivering rich harmonies. While melancholy pervades the album, moments of warmth, empathy or consolation are never very far away.