Formerly known as Henry and The Invisibles, solo performer and skilled producer Henry Invisible (Henry Roland) announces his brand-new single “Ain’t Easy” dropping Friday, Feb. 3. “Ain’t Easy” is the first track from a collection of music the Austin legend has created over the last several years, introducing a fresh sound which fuses retro pop-rock influences with Roland’s signature groove rhythms. A staple in the funk scene locally and regionally, Henry Invisible is known as a multi-instrumentalist who single handedly loops and layers vocal harmonies, dynamic guitar riffs, bass grooves, soulful keyboards, drum machines and powerful percussion to create original, high-energy dance music that resembles a solid six-piece ensemble. Following the release of “Ain’t Easy” and various other singles slated for 2023, Roland plans to select the best tracks from his musical vault to create a full-length record by early next year. For more information on Henry Invisible, please see here. To purchase the new single on Feb. 3, see here.
Inspired by the challenges of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, Henry’s latest project aims to relay his musical journey over the last several years, promoting positivity and optimism, featuring a new-found vintage rock influenced sound. While in lockdown, Roland composed over 100 songs as a part of his weekly online livestream “The Love Stream,” created to encourage hope for the future and generate a supportive community. Each song in this collection, like the majority of his discography, was written, recorded, engineered and mastered by Henry himself in his home studio in Austin, TX.
“The inspiration comes from the pandemic experience that we all went through,” said Roland. “It was rough on so many. I lost many friends and family due to the dramatic changes in everyday life. I knew that I had to not only provide motivation and hope in my music, but also address the fear that we all felt during that vulnerable time. The culmination of those experiences most definitely attributed to my writing and outlook.”
Different from his previous works, Henry took a deeper approach to songwriting with his latest Bowie-esque single “Ain’t Easy.” Born out of uncertainty and hope for the future during the height of the pandemic, the song conveys what he and many others were feeling at the time, featuring a lively rhythm as well as an uplifting theme that Henry’s avid listeners will recognize and love. In a unique turn of events, “Ain’t Easy” was almost lost to the world before Roland uncovered it again years later.
“Earlier this year as I was cleaning out my studio, I decided to sell some gear and one of the items I would put up for sale was an extra loop pedal which had the function to also record my live ideas,” said Roland. “Before I sell anything, I always make sure that the gear is void of any of my original material. It was then that I saw one bank that had something recorded onto it. I pressed play and there was this song that I wrote, ‘Ain’t Easy.’ The original lyrics were free-styled and you could hear the absolute fear in the shakiness of my voice. I just remember feeling this warmth take over me as I listened to it from a different perspective, as a listener. I knew I had to release the song at the beginning of this year.”
As Henry Invisible embarks on this new release, inspired by hypnotic glam rock icons such as David Bowie, Elton John and Prince, he is also generating quite the buzz for himself in the production world through collaborations with other artists. You can hear Roland’s work on his funk hero Bootsy Collins’ “Stolen Dreams” from Collins’ 2020 record, “Power Of The One.” Henry appeared in a quick cameo in the video for the album’s title track as well. With many other production endeavors currently in the works, Roland is excited to continue advancing his role in this facet of the music industry during the months to come.
“This man will blow you off your feet so quickly that you’ll think you’re flying, and he is the sort of musician that not only makes you move but moves you,” said music licenser Nathalie Phan of On Vinyl Music. “The intimate relationship he has with his audience is absolutely unmatched in the live music scene.”
To learn more about Henry Invisible please see here.
