All songs by Henry Bateman can be purchased via Bandcamp, and streamed in all of the usual places. Some of these songs were also released as part of albums, and some were released individually.
Scroll down for Videos by Henry!
Lewisham 1940
‘Lewisham 1940’ is taken from my ‘Splendid Isolation’ album. During the first lockdown, I came across my Grandad’s autobiography which included his account of the London Blitz starting out when he was a child. It was a mind-blowing read; most of the lyrics of things song are taken from that.
Breathing Underwater
‘Breathing Underwater’ was the first single from ‘Splendid Isolation’ and is one of my favourite songs on the album. I actually think it’s one of my best songs and productions. I wrote it on the first day of that initial UK lockdown in March 2020.
Something Over Me
‘Something Over Me’ was taken from ‘A Ghost Inside’, and was written at a time when I was starting to explore my own anxiety. It’s a song about panic attacks and being at the mercy of your own brain (predominantly whilst driving).
When You Choose
‘When You Choose’ was a song I wrote with two other songwriters one afternoon in a house in the middle of nowhere in Sweden. It was the first time I had worked with Lucas Vermeer, and there was something special in the way we wrote together. This song really just flew out of us; him on keys, me singing and writing down lyrics, and Chris Smith engineering. I love this song.
If Your Heart IS Beating
‘If Your Heart is Beating’ was the flagship single from ‘Hide & Seek’. People have come up with various different interpretations of the lyrics, and any one of them could work for me. This song is all about the sounds and the groove for me. It features some extraordinary playing by the band; this track really allowed everyone to lock in together and move into some new spaces musically.
Ready Or Not / Mother
This was a double single I put out in the run up to the release of ‘Throwing & Catching’. There were two versions of ‘Ready or Not’, a song which – for me – is a real centrepiece of that record. I made a demo, and then we recorded it with the band. I couldn’t decide which one to release. The band version was probably my favourite, but I was emotionally attached to the demo. Its a song about grief, and ‘Ready or Not’ was really the first music-making I did after my friend had passed away; the demo felt emotionally charged. So, I decided to release the demo through this double single, and included another called ‘Mother’ which appears as a bonus track on ‘Throwing & Catching’.
Plastic Life
‘Plastic Life’ was the second single from ‘Splendid Isolation’. It features the extraordinary rhythm section of Greg Burns (drums) and Frazer Kerslake (bass) – the backbone of a lot of my earlier work. It was a real joy for me to dress up their grooving with different layers of guitar. Texturally, this is fairly inspired by the early Police records.
Definition
‘Definition’ was a single from my ‘A Ghost Inside’ record. It was initially a co-write from years ago, and laid dormant on a harddrive for years. When I was putting that album together, ‘Definition’ felt like it would fit. I love the version we created, and it’s become a song which people often say is their favourite of mine.
Seinfield Street
‘Seinfeld Street’ was the first song to be released from ‘A Ghost Inside’. It was initially written as a co-write on a songwriting camp in Berlin. The song was abandoned for a long time, but I felt like I could do something interesting with it for this record. The song evolved a lot, but it became a real centrepiece of that record I think.
Seaside
‘Seaside’ is the opening track from my ‘Hide & Seek’ record. I love this song; it’s one of my most unusual and unnerving. I wrote it at a time when I was really trying to get to grips with writing from the perspective of fictional characters, and I feel that this song is one of my best attempts at that. It also gave me an opportunity to really explore string writing which is a puzzle I enjoy trying to solve. The artwork here, by Paul Brough, I find very powerful and wish I had been able to expose it more.
Received in Me
‘Received in Me’ was from my ‘Throwing & Catching’ record. I lost a very close friend whilst making that record, and struggled for a long time with unsaid things between us. This song was really me processing that. It features some wonderful playing from the band and my producer Tim Goddard contributed some fantastic ideas to the electronic side of things. It’s a happy song; the emphasis is on the things that I was supposed to say, not on the regret.
Should I / How a Man Should Be
‘Should I’ was the first single to be released from ‘Throwing & Catching’ and marked the start of a whole new period of music-making for me. ‘How A Man Should Be’ is another song from that record, but the version here is different. I messed around with lots of different versions of that song!
Videos by Henry
You can find a selection of Henry’s videos below. They are all available to watch on YouTube.
Definition (Official Video)
Digital music video by Rob Bateman
Seinfeld Street (Live From Home)
Performed by the band who recorded it
I’m Worth More Than This
Henry Bateman & Chris Camm
How A Man Should Be
Performed by Henry Bateman
You Make Me Happy
Performed by The Henry Bateman Band
Tell Who I Am
Performed by The Henry Bateman Band
Burn It Down
Performed by The Henry Bateman Band
Amelia (Live in Lockdown)
Performed by Henry Bateman & Frazer Kerslake
Stop Hiding
Performed by The Henry Bateman Band
Grace
Performed by The Henry Bateman Band
If Your Heart is Beating
Official Music Video
Algodao Doce (Samba) by C. Machado
Performed by Silver & String
Aerial Boundaries
Performed by Henry Bateman
Fall At Your Feet
Performed by Bridie, Bateman & Neale
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles)
Performed by Henry Bateman
Newsletter Updates
Subscribe to my newsletter for monthly updates and upcoming events