It seems a contradiction of terms to describe bedroom-pop as being elegant, but Harley Alexander revels in the simplicity of it. His 2017 album, Spill Kid, deftly combined the razor edge of a movement with an intimate lo-fi connection, crooning away in solidarity. His upcoming EP, Feeling Things, promises to be his most stripped-down album yet, making space for honest narrative through austerity.
“Green Pillow,” Harley Alexander’s second single off of Feeling Things, addresses one of the top five topics of 2020 (fingers crossed) with a surreal approach to expressing an appreciation for nature.
“‘Green Pillow’ is about the healing that occurs when we reconnect with nature and the present moment,” explains Alexander. “I was visiting a friend in Lahave, Nova Scotia and I wanted to share her wise perspective on the grounding and healing nature of the present moment and the sweet, delicateness of nature itself. The arrangement of the song itself reflects this gentleness with the pacing and space it gives.”
Utilizing some near-random phone footage and a vaguely Dali-esque portrait shot, Harley Alexander spells out the all-encompassing virtues of our photosynthetic environs. After all, if you can ground yourself simply by walking barefoot, imagine what can be accomplished for your mind. “Green pillow. Green hair,” Alexander repeats, as though we might benefit from some imbuing ourselves chlorophyll through osmosis as we slumber.
“Green Pillow,” Alexander notes, is not even his favourite song from the upcoming EP. That place is distinction goes to his previously released, “Love Language“, in which he expresses the “surging of renewed love that comes after heartbreak and subsequent healing and change; it’s about reopening to the world, loving and being loved.”
Both will be available on Harley Alexander’s EP Feeling Things, set to be released via OOF Records on August 12, 2020. The EP will be available for purchase as part of a run of 50 tapes. Alexander will also be performing a series of social-distanced live shows over social media. Livestream dates are expected to be announced sometime in the coming weeks.