"Toxic Fraternity," Deconstructed: Henry Jamison's 'Gloria Duplex' Out Today

‘Gloria Duplex,’ the new album from Burlington singer-songwriter Henry Jamison, is out today on Akira Records. With lyrics seemingly spun “into gold” (The FADER) and folk arrangements that are “dreamy and downy soft, laced with orchestral strings and a Sufjan Stevens-worthy vocal” (Rolling Stone), the album is a confrontation (and attempted rehabilitation) of Henry's own masculinity- a timely meditation, deconstruction, and criticism of, in Henry's words, "the ways in which boys in our culture are recruited into a toxic fraternity, by each other, by their fathers." It's a musical journey towards understanding the role of straight, white, middle class American men in- and their larger responsibility in undoing the deep-seated patriarchal aspects of- modern-day society.

The album, which has received early praise from The New York Times, The FADER, The Bluegrass Situation, Atwood Magazine (which called Henry “one of America’s modern folk masters”), as well as some of Henry’s high-profile musician friends including composer Nico Muhly and Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker, was recorded in NYC alongside producer Thomas Bartlett (Sufjan Stevens, St. Vincent), violinist Rob Moose (Bon Iver, Phoebe Bridgers), and mixer Patrick Dillet (Rhye, David Byrne). In contrast to Henry’s first album ‘The Wilds,’ recorded mostly in solitude in rural Vermont, the album takes on a lusher, more orchestrally-influenced sound while retaining Henry’s signature lyrical integrity on par with “the Great American Novel” (Billboard).

Listen to ‘Gloria Duplex’ in full via Billboard: https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8496841/henry-jamison-gloria-duplex-album

When forming the idea behind the album’s sonic dissertation, Henry was inspired by three distinct phases in his life: his failed boyhood dream of being a prototypically-masculine baseball star, his resentment of the pre-professional business types who attended Bowdoin College with him, and his most recent relationship with his now ex-girlfriend, who came to represent a semi-subconscious feminine perspective in his life.  From the corporate “race to the bottom” of “Boys” to the profundity of “Ether Garden” and the religious themes of seven-and-a-half minute epic “Florence Nightingale,” through the album Henry paints an evolved, and unresolved, portrait of a modern man trying to improve.

This spring, Henry heads on the road for his first-ever headlining tour, playing venues across the US including LA’s Moroccan Lounge (4/30) and Brooklyn’s Rough Trade (5/30) with a stage presence he’s honed over non-stop international tours with Big Thief, Caroline Rose, Darlingside, Nick Hakim, Guster, and more. 

Check out a live performance HERE at WGBH: https://www.wgbh.org/music/front-row-boston/2019/02/07/henry-jamison-live-at-fraser

Since releasing his debut ‘The Wilds,’ Henry’s electronic-tinged folk has amassed 100M+ Spotify streams as well as accolades from the likes of Vice Noisey, The Guardian, American Songwriter, NPR’s World Café, and more. For full tour routing, see below.

-- Henry Jamison Tour Dates --

Supporting Guster 
Feb 09 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
Feb 11 - Missoula, MT - Top Hat Lounge
Feb 12 - Spokane, WA - Bing Crosby Theater 
Feb 14 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom 
Feb 15 - Vancouver, CA - Imperial 
Feb 16 - Seattle, WA - Showbox Sodo 

Headline Tour
Mar 05 - London, UK - Omeara 
Mar 09 - Berlin, DE - Privatclub 
Mar 10 - Hamburg, DE - Nochtwache
Mar 12 - Amsterdam, NL - Pardiso 
Mar 13 - Cologne, DE - Wohngemeinschaft
Mar 14 - Stuttgart, DE - White Noise 
Mar 16 - Zurich, CH - M for Music Festival 
Apr 30 - Los Angeles, CA - Moroccan Lounge
May 01 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop 
May 03 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
May 04 - Vancouver, BC - Fox Cabaret
May 05 - Seattle, WA - Barboza 
May 07 - Missoula, MT - Top Hat 
May 09 - Denver, CO - Globe Hall
May 11 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club 
May 12 - Chicago, IL - Schubas 
May 13 - Nashville, TN - The Basement 
May 14 - Atlanta, GA - Eddie's Attic 
May 16 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
May 17 - Washington, DC - DC 9
May 18 - Ithaca, NY - The Haunt
May 21 - Toronto, CA - Drake Hotel 
May 22 - Montreal, CA - Mini Campus
May 24 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
May 27 - Lenox, MA - Welcome Campers Festival
May 28 - Portland, ME - One Longfellow Square
May 30 - Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade 
May 31 - Philadelphia, PA - Boot & Saddle
Jun 01 - Boston, MA - Cafe 939