You know what they say: Change is good. In the case of Kevin Henthorn, whose solo project goes by the name of Cape Francis, change is very good.
Henthorn was previously lead singer and guitarist in the indie rock band Stone Cold Fox, which took an “indefinite hiatus” in late 2016 after a pretty solid four-year run. Henthorn has since sidetracked from that and ventured into new territory on his first solo album, Falling Into Pieces, out this week on Sleep Well Records. He explains in Billboard that it’s “centered around finger picked electric guitar, and surrounded by simple arrangements of percussion and synthesizers,” and the sound is less jam-out-at-a-concert rock circa his Stone Cold Fox days. It’s softer, introspective indie rock with tinges of folk and pop influence — the kind of stuff that you would rather listen to in an intimate show setting.
For the album, Henthorn attempted to “break form and reconnect with the natural flow of instrumentation and storytelling.” From the slower “Iditarod” to the more upbeat “5 In The Morning” to the electric guitar-filled instrumental “Lake Placid,” Henthorn proves he has, in fact, moved on from his old sounds while creating a gracefully cohesive album that showcases his storytelling abilities. On “Iditarod,” Henthorn sings: “I want to be impossibly/Carved from all my failures/But left standing on my feet.”
If by “failures” he means prior musical endeavors, then he is certainly standing on his feet with this album — and standing tall.
Listen to Falling Into Pieces on Spotify. Cape Francis photo via Bandcamp.