The Music and Planet Project

In The Shoreline Sessions, Hello London introduces a new acoustic dimension to his sound that takes us deeper into previously released songs. Without the drums and the distortion of the guitars filling our ears, James Froese, the band’s lead, has made it easier to experience the emotionality of many of these compositions. Froese’s signature indie rock and pop punk writing style is still felt in these new renditions, but it is laid bare for the listener to hear in a more vulnerable and exposed format. 

Certain elements of these new recordings really take on a new life when translated to the stripped down acoustic versions. In “Melody”, for example, Froese’s raw vocals really shine against the backdrop of a gently strummed acoustic and picked clean electric riff. “Volcano”, which features an arena-rock style chorus in the previously released full-band version, adds a new sense of sweetness by trading the expansive drums for an orchestral synth in the chorus of this acoustic version. After getting accustomed to hearing this melody in the full-band version, the listener can more easily imagine singing along to the acoustic one alongside the artist in a small venue rather than far away at an arena. “Spark”, which features one of Froese’s most tender and memorable melodies, also converts nicely into the stripped down format. This is a melody that has “hit song” written all over it, no matter what instrumentation backs it, but Froese makes smart musical choices with synths, enhancing the sweetness without overdoing it. The song makes it easy to picture lighters swaying in synchrony at an outdoor summer show.

In addition to the musical choices, some of Froese’s lyrics take on a new sense of depth in the acoustic format. The lyrics of “The Changing Tide”, another of Froese’s finest melodies, strike with a new level of haunting desperation when laid bare in the acoustic format. Similarly, “Volcano”, which features the artist’s self-reflections on his own emotions, feels more introspective in the stripped down version. The artist also deserves applause for including “Wait Here Forever”, which also lacked drums in its initial release, pulling on our heartstrings in this re-release. 

While any stripped down version of a previously electric song exposes new vulnerabilities, this is especially true for Hello London, an artist whose songs and lyrics are built on raw and honest emotions. Up and Comers applauds Hello London for taking this wise musical step forward and bringing new dimensions and depth to his compositions. 

Stream the album here and follow Hello London for updates.