Harkness continues to build the mystery. Regular readers of The Static Dive will recognize the name. He is the mononymous and otherwise anonymous Canadian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who made his debut in September with the single “ID.” With that bit of retro Pop perfection the artist arrived on the scene with a fully formed sound, developed in seclusion over the course of a decade. In November he returned with a lush, cinematic Beach Boys-esque beauty “Defibrillator.”. Each song is a stepping stone toward the release of his forthcoming album “The Occasion.”
“Lure of the Pollen” is the latest single from Harkness, released December 11, 2020. With each new song we discover additional layers and nuance to the artist’s sound. As a writer and arranger he balances the simple sentimentality of Pop music with complex musical sophistication. Because of this he draws comparisons to musical savant and Beach Boys mastermind, Brian Wilson.
On “Lure of the Pollen” he brings to mind another genius of musical composition and studio wizardry, Todd Rundgren. In just over two minutes Harkness wields multi-part overlapping harmonies, orchestral arrangements and classic Pop/Rock instrumentation. Like the famous ‘Runt’, Harkness manages to turn all of that complexity into a beautifully simple little Pop song about a spring romance.
As I was riding my bike to meet her on that first date a Butterfly flew towards me and I instinctively reached out and caught it while still pedaling. When I finally reached her and we came together to meet I released the Butterfly between us as we said Hello. You can guess at how the rest of the day went…
Harkness
Check out “Lure of the Pollen” on the Deep Indie Dive playlist. Follow the links below to connect with this mysterious Canadian on his path to “The Occasion”
Connect:
Harkness on the Deep Indie Dive playlist
