(EDITOR’S NOTE — With his recent entry less than a week ago into the wild world of fatherhood, it seems only fitting the new album by Buffalo musician James Froese is called ‘The Changing Tide.’ Yet, even with all he has going on, Froese — who performs under the name Hello London — was kind enough recently to find a few moments to talk with 1120 Press about his latest LP, which you can listen to and purchase HERE. Not only are we grateful, we wish him, his wife, and their new baby well! Please read our story below. — Photo by Joanna Froese.)
Too cold to catch a spark
that burns within a soul
Moved from the freezing rain to find an ember's glow
The balance in everything we know
Mistaking what might just be gold
I know it's coming around again
I've seen it before
The changing tide
I know it's coming around again
The scales are weighed
With waves of time
When James Froese — a.k.a. Hello London — released his excellent EP ‘Patterns’ last year, we were especially floored by the track ‘Breathing In,’ which we considered one of Buffalo’s best indie songs of 2023.
So, when we first spun Hello London’s new album, ‘The Changing Tide,’ we weren’t necessarily all that shocked that it only took the opening track, ‘The World is Wrong,’ to leave us blown away.
From beginning to end on ‘The Changing Tide,’ Froese — who employs total DIY ethos on his records, playing multiple instruments and recording and mixing his work himself — weaves plush lyrical scenes against melodic backdrops, all of which are accented by strong, catchy guitar work.
There’s really no weak moment here on this 34 minute record.
“I've been moving steadily along in a similar direction,” Froese said of how the new
album compares to his previous work. “I tried to add some more energetic rock elements on this album. Just trying to build on what I've done before. More of a focus on guitar riffs, and lyrically I just tried to be more open and honest about my emotions, which is a difficult thing to do sometimes even for songwriters. I recorded and mixed the whole album and you can kind of hear the development in that regard from song to song.”
While his previous work on ‘Patterns’ had more of a singer-songwriter feel, Froese on ‘The Changing Tide’ seems to flex more of an indie-rock muscle. And, in fact, it’s that range — which makes it difficult to pigeonhole Froese — that makes him such an interesting artist.
“I do love pop rock and indie, but I also love emo and pop punk, so I tried to lean a little more in that direction,” he said. “I think no matter what genre is intended, the personality of the performer will shine through.”
Adding to the personality on ‘The Changing Tide’ is the air of self-examination that permeates the album. Compared to his work on ‘Patterns,’ the songs on this new album exude introspection.
Another year over and the world's spinning on
I try to put it in the words to a song
it might be a cold one but the summer was warm
from green to grey to white and back into form
took a drive to the east coast just to get away
from the sounds and the sights that we see everyday
I can see the sky starting to rain
I can feel it as I'm faded away—The World is Wrong (from ‘The Changing Tide’)
“I think continuing to write songs has forced me to be a bit more introspective,” Froese said. “I recorded many of these songs while my wife and I awaited the arrival of our first child (who arrived Friday!), so the anticipation is certainly reflected in the music.”
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