Dhani Harrison and longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich have formed the new band Dragonflies and shared debut single ‘Slower’ – check it out below.
READ MORE: Nigel Godrich and Laura Bettinson on Ultraísta: “It’s about looking back without being nostalgic”
The pair will release their self-titled debut album on September 18 via Dark Horse Records/BMG, the label originally founded by Harrison’s father, Beatles legend George Harrison, in 1974. Pre-order it here.
‘Slower’ serves as the record’s opening track and combines tape loops, layered percussion and Harrison’s vocals with a hazy, trip-hop-influenced sound.
It arrives alongside a hand-drawn, psychedelic video directed by Bristol animator RUFFMERCY, whose previous credits include work with Nirvana, Earl Sweatshirt, The Chemical Brothers, Nas and Run The Jewels.
Check it out here:
Harrison and Godrich are longtime friends, but began working together after the former contacted the producer during the pandemic for advice on what would eventually become his 2023 solo album ‘Innerstanding’.
Godrich later invited Harrison to his studio in Brixton, where they began constructing new songs from tape loops and working quickly without a fixed plan.
“It’s like one person throwing something in the air and the other person catching it,” Godrich said of their creative process.
Harrison added: “He’s a machine. He has strong opinions about what he wants to hear, and for me it’s very humbling. That’s why it’s such a new experience.”
The project saw Harrison step back from the detailed computer-based production of his solo work to concentrate primarily on singing and playing guitar, while Godrich shaped the songs in real time.
The pair have cited Portishead singer Beth Gibbons, Japan frontman David Sylvian and late composer Ryuichi Sakamoto as influences on the album, describing its sound as a form of “earthbound space rock”.
Godrich is best known for his long-running creative partnership with Radiohead, having produced every one of the band’s studio albums since 1997’s ‘OK Computer’, as well as working extensively with Thom Yorke on his solo material and with The Smile.
His production catalogue also includes Beck’s ‘Sea Change’ and ‘The Information’, Paul McCartney’s ‘Chaos And Creation In The Backyard’, Arcade Fire’s ‘We Exist’ and albums by artists including IDLES, Air and Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Alongside his production career, Godrich is a musician in his own right. He formed the electronic group Ultraísta with singer Laura Bettinson and drummer Joey Waronker, releasing their self-titled debut in 2012 and follow-up ‘Sister’ in 2020.
He is also a founding member of Atoms For Peace alongside Yorke, Waronker, Flea and Mauro Refosco. The supergroup released its debut album ‘Amok’ in 2013, with Godrich contributing keyboards, synthesisers and guitar as well as production.
Speaking to NME around the release of Ultraísta’s second album, Godrich described making his own music as distinct from his better-known production work.
“When you’re producing, you’re trying to help somebody else realise their vision,” he said. “When you’re making your own record, you’re responsible for every decision.”
Harrison, the only child of George and Olivia Harrison, first emerged as a member of the alternative rock band thenewno2, before forming the supergroup Fistful Of Mercy with Ben Harper and Joseph Arthur.
He released his first solo album, ‘In///Parallel’, in 2017, followed by ‘Innerstanding’ six years later, and has also composed music for film and television projects including Beautiful Creatures, Good Girls Revolt and Dogs.
Last year, he executive-produced the first official music video for his father’s ‘Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)’, which was directed by Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard.
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