Henry Grace goes from solo to frontman with 2nd album ‘Things Are Moving All Around Me’
The British musician brings in a full band on his second full-length, co-produced with Mystery Jets’ Blaine Harrison.
★★★★☆
Photo: Jess Bibby
Admittedly, I’ve been late to the Henry Grace train. It passed me by once, and I foolishly didn’t get on it, dismissing what would later envelop me. As a fan of single Say Something Mean, I had been patiently awaiting the full album — it’s safe to say, I wasn’t disappointed.
What starts off with Rust, a reintroduction to Henry’s sound — a new start for the British man who once left his home in the UK to live in America, releasing his debut Alive in America in 2022 — develops into a stirring, addictive album with traces of Nick Drake, but built for the modern listener.
Three songs in, we’re struck by single Say Something Mean, which I said was one of my favourite songs of 2025 — and I meant it. The list of people I’ve sent this song and told them to listen is longer than I could count on both hands, and I’ve made my parents listen to it on repeat. If there’s one song that’ll get you hooked on this album, it’s this incredibly addictive number. Not many songs can hook you on the first listen, but this does just that, and then stays there, begging to be listened to.
Despite being called Things Are Moving All Around Me, it feels like Henry has finally found a sense of balance in his life, having moved back to his native England. Strong points are found in quieter moments, with the soft, gentle clasp of Things — the last single to be lifted from the album — cementing Henry as a songwriter to keep an eye (or two) on.
There’s a lot to love on this album. While Alive in America saw him go it alone, his second offering brings in help from a full band and sees Henry grow from a solo artist to a frontman, backed by a band of six talented musicians, who helped bring a warmth to this record.
One of the bittersweet moments comes from penultimate track, Leaving Song, which tells the story of how loving someone is so easy but, as expected, the leaving part is the hardest, making for a hauntingly beautiful track that weaves perfectly into the album’s closer, Days Like This.
If it’s the year of yearning, then Henry is leading the pack, as the album is full of earnest and open lyrics. Although not all about forlorn romance, the album’s end reflects on the Oxfordshire-born singer’s time spent in America, after moving there at the age of 21, later returning to plant his roots back in England. Henry wistfully sings, “Now, anyone who is anyone in this town / Knows it’s hard to leave, and hard to stick around” as the album draws to a close, and leaves us with an album worth going back to time and time again.
Things Are Moving All Around Me is out now via At Last.
