Henrietta – “The Trick Is Not Minding” Album Review
Posted: by Sean Gonzalez
Stream “The Trick Is Not Minding” while you read!
If this is Henrietta not minding, I want to hear what they sound like when they do mind. Seriously, this LP is a glimpse at how powerful dynamics can leave an impact on one song, hell even ten songs. The Trick Is Not Minding is a tranquil delight, never overwhelming in the heaviness, yet shattering the mix with dynamics to give a ‘heavy’ feel. For an example, the bridge of ‘2000 Miles’ builds and builds without ever needing to crank the distortion to build that unique weight and depth to the aggressive part.
Let’s breakdown the first song, which sets the pace for this entire record. ‘Give Up Kid’ stars with vocalist Manny Urdaneta quietly crooning over a clean guitar. As the drums snap into place, they slowly gather in complexity and the rest of the band unleashes their melodies in the chorus. The stop and go chord progression of the second verse is more structured, bleeding into more melodies with ease. It sound simple, but every note plays a distinct purpose in making the song sound so big. ‘A Spectrum’ swells in and charges ahead with no intention of looking back. A pair of headphones on, one can hear the two guitars never playing the exact same thing, often having their one notes to blend with the overarching melody. These dynamic harmonies are littered across the whole album.
But Henrietta has the shining feature of strong vocals to help push each song into memory. ‘Leave It Alone’ is full of vivacious howls with even more impeccable harmonies matching note for note. There is something so rewarding about singing along, barking at the top of one’s voice, “So leave it alone,” and letting the voice carry out that last note. The softer vocal approach is just as worthy of praise, especially on the ballad ‘Away From Home.’ All is soft and cooing along, being especially full of depth due to the bass calmly pulsing along. Closing track ‘Orion’ has its worth in being long, drawing out the build to let screams and feedback let everything else out in what is the album’s climax.
The Trick Is Not Minding is a luscious debut. Tranquil and dynamic, Henrietta take a formula of music and twist it into a lavishing harmony. Each delicate melody, every tiny note is all done with exact intent. It is the attention to these intricacies that makes this album that special.
8.3/10
– Sean
