On August 1st, Haiden Henderson released his newest EP, titled tension. With more R&B influences, ‘club music’, as well as some slower tunes, this EP provides the classic Haiden Henderson experience of deep lyrics with a melody that makes you want to dance. The record, consisting of eight songs, tells a story from Henderson’s own life, where he caught feelings for his former best friend. During a press conference about tension, the artist explained that everything he sings about has actually happened to him; all of his songs come from intense emotions and experiences he lived through. Knowing that, listeners are in for a ride with this brand-new EP.
The first track, ‘one track mind’, starts off by setting a party scene: distant music can be heard, which gets louder as the song properly starts. “Probably got no shot, you’re so hot that I gotta shoot it,” the song’s opening lyrics immediately show Henderson’s feelings towards this friend, feeling like she’s out of his league. In the pre-chorus of this song, Henderson seems to make a reference to one of the other songs on this EP, ‘sweat’: “Well I’m no Romeo, but I can make you sweat.” The chorus provides a catchy, danceable beat with its repetitive lyrics, making ‘one track mind’ another addition to Henderson’s party vibe songs.
This first song, according to the artist himself, is a reflection of what kind of person he really is. While he seems to be more confident due to some of his other songs, such as ‘hell of a good time’ from his previous EP, he actually is more insecure and cheesier, he explained, as is reflected in the lyrics.
Next up on the track list are three songs we’ve heard before: ‘lovesucker’, ‘sweat’, and his most recent single before the EP release, ‘lips’. These songs perfectly match the hot nighttime party vibe of the EP so far, and are a power trio for fans to jam out to before jumping into the next song, which is a bit slower compared to the other songs.
‘sweet tooth’ starts off quite abruptly, with Henderson’s smooth voice immediately jumping into the lyrics: “I don’t wanna start something up and then stop at only a bite, I don’t want a taste of your love and then find out it’s just for tonight.” While this song definitely cannot be called a ballad, it is one of the slower songs on tension, but it has a surprising addition: rap elements. The lyrics of this song very clearly point to the situation with his best friend, as he sings “We’re best friends now, don’t wanna throw that off, I know we both got too much to lose.” This song, he explained, is one of the most personal and specific songs regarding the situation. However, the more specific he is, the more his music resonates with the fans – and this personal connection with fans is exactly what he appreciates so much about his job.
Henderson explained that in the first few years of being a singer, he didn’t really put effort into connecting with fans. However, in the last year or so, he realised that by having no personal connection with his fans, he was robbing himself of an experience, and he started interacting with fans online daily. Now he has inside jokes with fans and knows his fandom so much better, that this personal connection is what keeps him going.
The sixth song on tension is ‘AA’. This song starts off slow and emotional, with just Henderson’s voice, a guitar, and an eerie sort of ringing in the background. However, as soon as the pre-chorus starts, it’s clear that this is not a slow song at all as the start of a beat kicks in, and then the chorus presents the song as another banger. “I just want some more you, but I can’t afford to, I hate you and adore you.” Henderson sings. If the EP presents a story, this song seems to be the turning point where the artist realises that it isn’t going to work out between him and his best friend, even though he desperately wants it to. “I pray I get over this condition, my addiction, AA,” signifying that he’s obsessed with her but knows she’s not good for him. Henderson referred to this song as ‘the weird one’ on the EP – it doesn’t really feel like him, he said, and in the song he’s a “sad white boy in the club.”
Next up is Henderson’s own favourite track on the EP, ‘good TV’. Like ‘sweet tooth’, this is one of the slower songs on tension, except this is actually a ballad. This song contains several references to Henderson’s favourite movie, The Truman Show, as he revealed himself: “I’m aware, I’m aware, I’m aware I’m starring in The Truman Show. I’m afraid, I’m afraid, I’m afraid I finally have to let you go.”
This song further shows that things ended badly between him and his best friend, with lyrics throughout the EP even referring to her having a boyfriend that isn’t him. He even seems to start to resent her for how things ended, though he still wishes he would choose her: “I don’t know, but I hope that for you this wasn’t just some good TV. Is my heartbreak entertaining? How’s this season gonna end? With your happy ever after and me on my own again?” Clearly, ‘good TV’ is a highly emotional song that many listeners are bound to relate to.
Finally, the EP concludes with the title track, ‘tension’, which also wraps up the story we’ve been told by telling what the situation is like in the aftermath of everything. Being another classic Haiden Henderson track, ‘tension’ has a certain rock vibe that makes you want to jam out. Most memorable in this song are the lyrics “Never thought I’d have to watch you go, best friend to a lover to a ghost,” at the end of the pre-chorus, starting the chorus off with a bang and sticking in listeners’ heads like an earworm.
Another part of ‘tension’ that stands out is its bridge – a summing-up of things that happened between him and this woman, telling the story in a very personal way. Henderson revealed that this bridge was a point of contention, as his friends told him it might be too specific – so specific that he almost took parts of it out. While he didn’t end up changing this bridge, he did hint at there being other lyrics that he dialled back on because they were so deeply personal, showing just how much his music is a way for Henderson to process things that happened to him.
With the tension EP, Haiden Henderson has taken us on a journey through a part of his life, hearing it all play out from his personal point of view. He revealed he feels very proud of this project, as he refers to the EP, because he feels that he was able to “put the situation that happened on a catchy track.” And deliver he did!
As Haiden Henderson’s tour is coming up, he was asked what his must haves and non-negotiables were on tour. Immediately, he named a leather jacket, his classic mismatched converse, and his guitar – but he admitted he’s prone to forgetting things, such as vitamins, and is trying to remember to bring those things on his next tour.
While he mostly goes with the flow and lets himself be carried along while on tour, “like a jellyfish,” he loves to be present on stage and take it all in and really enjoy the moment. “The group chat you have with your friends, that if anyone saw you’d definitely get cancelled – that’s what touring is like” Henderson said.
Evidently, exciting times are ahead – in August, he will be on tour through the United States, and in September he will come back to Europe. While most shows sold out within minutes, make sure to check out if there are any tickets left for a show near you here.
Written by: Nèri Cliteur
Edited by: Marloes Joosen
