Love’s great spectrum is musically described by Thomas Headon, who creates an album to encourage perceptions and observations to be discussed

Thomas Headon, a vastly popular indie-pop musical artist, was born in London, England before moving to Melbourne, Australia at five years old.

As his talent and popularity grow with every release, his new album ‘Victoria’ is certainly set to follow this pattern and create even more discussion around the 21-year-old’s expertise.

Named the Offical Chart Company's artist to watch for 2022, Headon expresses his individuality, creativity, genius, and passion in every track he releases, and listeners are overwhelmed with happiness after hearing the final releases of the new album, hitting play over and over again.

With his initial singles ‘Grace’ and ‘Clean me up’ already creating a wider audience for the artist, the stakes were high for his first album release and were unarguably succeeded greatly. The album consists of five singles, each one competing for the title of the best on the album and listeners being torn as to which takes the championship place. Each of the tracks contains something special, something different and exciting for his fans, providing them with a perfect demonstration of heart-wrenching love and passion in so many contexts; tracks can both indicate the discreteness of some love affairs as well as offer the possibility of a forever love. With different tempos and rhythms all pairing well with their respective narrative, Headon has outdone himself and listeners cannot wait to add these to their playlists all year round.

The album begins with the track ‘Nobody Has to Know’, the first one of them to be released in the lead-up to the album’s debut. With its upbeat tempo, repeated fingerstyle and distinctive opening lyrics “We’re making out of your sofa/ I’ve been single for like two days”, Headon outdid himself here; a  listener’s attention is surely grabbed from the very start making the track's progression even more impressive. Incorporating Accapella opening lines to his verses in this track adds to his unique creativity, allowing his imagination and passion for music to seep through so eloquently into his music. This part of the track is a common occurrence, creating the perfect song to sing along to, cover, and enjoy to the heart’s content. Performing this on tour got his fans screaming and jumping, only becoming more eager for the album’s eventual release. 

Moving into the central part of the album, Headon writes the singles ‘How Do I Know’,  'Strawberry Kisses’ and (the title song) ‘Victoria’. Each of these encompasses very different areas of love as an incredibly beautiful and strong emotion; initial care, physical connection, and desire. ‘How Do I Know’ is an extremely popular track with his listeners, providing a feel-good tune with a message of confusion, getting caught up in a moment. How do people today know whether something is love, passion, or initial attraction? Headon brings this into question before concluding the importance of finding the one and the journey to such. Accompanying this with a continued guitar strum at cheery melody gives his fans the juxtaposition of uncertainty with joy.

The track ‘Strawberry Kisses’ has a very different message to it- a tale of passion and almost lust told beautifully through song. It showcases the fluctuations of love whilst maintaining the positive tempo Headon often thrives upon. This meant listeners became drawn in by the repeated guitar riff lying underneath the lyrics, implying a joyousness that comes with youthful desire. The penultimate track ‘Victoria’ opens with a short drum solo, immediately captivating listeners before weaving his ideas of impossible love, a connection between people obstructed by external factors. The tragedy of this track is the pleasurable moments described in the narrative (“We drove around in circles so it felt like we had somewhere to be” and “she grabbed my hand in the dark”) are opposed with the negative word “but” in “I’d say Iove her but that’s way too soon” that’s repeated throughout the track. The further hardship comes towards the song’s end when a single note is played in intervals underneath the lyrics “Shoulda told her that I loved her ‘cause not I’m alone”. 

The final track is ‘The Most Beautiful Thing’, a slow and thoughtful track, perfect for a slow dance or special moment between partners. It’s a song of pure devotion, a concoction of tenderness and affection told perfectly using a slow tempo with heart-wrenching lyrics. The choral lyric “She remains to be/ the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen” is sung as Thomas plays his guitar lonesome underneath, merging the traditional ideas of a serenade and ode to a loved one together. Undoubtedly, listeners are sobbing at the beauty of this track and in awe of the artist’s talent in creating such a range of music. 

This new album is set to be incredibly successful in the coming weeks and proves Thomas Headon to be a timeless, talented, and tender musician. 

Abby Price 

@abbyprice75

Image-  Thomas Headon ‘Victoria’ Official Album Cover