‘The Shoreline Sessions’ — New LP by Hello London an Atmospheric Work of Skillful Versatility and Emotion

(Photo by Joanna Froese)

James Froese, who performs under the name Hello London, has always been one of the Buffalo scene’s more interesting songwriters.

His output is relentless. His talent for lyrical storytelling not only runs deep, it is marked by unflinching self-revelation. And as we’ve said before in this space, he is an artist who is impossible to pigeonhole, often blending ­— if not jumping to and from — genres with a bold indie spirit fueled by continual artistic exploration.

There’s something else, too, which is prevalent in Froese’s songwriting, no matter the genre, and that’s an omnipresent sense of melody. So, perhaps, we shouldn’t be surprised that his new acoustic album, ‘The Shoreline Sessions,’ includes a song with that very name.

“‘Melody’ is a song about my relationship with music and how it has evolved over the course of my life,” said Froese. “It's a really simple song and it was easy to write, but I like a song like that once in a while.”

There’s a lot to like about the songs on ‘The Shoreline Sessions,’ which drops Friday (May 9) on all streaming platforms. Froese’s skilled songwriting craftsmanship is on full display throughout the album, which includes two newly written pieces as well as reworked acoustic versions of songs from his last LP, ‘The Changing Tide.” And though it’s an acoustic album, ‘The Shoreline Sessions’ is sonically richer than one might anticipate, with an atmospheric fullness that caught us pleasantly off guard.

“I have been listening to some acoustic-style albums by some of my favorite bands and I think it inspired me to add some keyboards and electric guitars,” Froese said. “I tried to add to the sound without going overboard to the point where it's no longer that type of album. I wanted it to sound stripped down and calmer but still full.”

‘The Shoreline Sessions’ is the latest addition to Hello London’s impressive and growing catalog — all of it driven and produced by Froese’s profound DIY ethos in which he plays all instruments on his releases, recording and mixing them himself as well.

What’s especially noteworthy about Froese’s work is its duality. While Hello London releases will often throw you a musical curve, what you can always expect is subject matter smacking of emotional honesty. And, once again, that’s fortunately the case on this new album, which was mastered by Doug White.  

“‘Heavy Heart’ was a song that I wrote for a collab that didn't end up working out,” Froese said of the LP’s other new song. “I wanted to write something kind of dark but still hopeful. A lot of the music I have been listening to has really heavy, intense lyrical content, and I think that tends to bleed into my songs sometimes and that's basically what this song is about. Just feeling really down and knowing that it really isn't that bad. But if you focus on the negative too much you can definitely make things worse.”

Meanwhile, in reworking songs from ‘The Changing Tide’ to acoustic versions for ‘The Shoreline Sessions,’ Froese said that he is, perhaps, offering listeners are truer version of himself.

“Because I play solo acoustic live, I wanted to get those versions of the songs out for people to hear so they know what to expect when I perform and also to give listeners a better feel for the individualistic nature of my writing and recording process at this point,” he said.

The song, “‘Volcano' was a little bit tough because it was the ‘pissed-off song’ on 'The Changing Tide,’” Froese said. “But on the acoustic version, I think, the overall sadness of the situation comes through a little more. There is a totally different personality to an acoustic version of a song, and it's probably a more accurate representation of what my music-making process is like than the full-band versions. And to be honest, I think it might be a better representation of my personality in general.”

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