Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
We look for reasons to be happy, constantly spending thousands in the pursuit of contentment, the plastic smile and the state of bliss that we believe we are owed for simply existing, the narrow perimeter we set ourselves is defined by that in which we think we see grace, never mind the problems of the world, all that can be fixed once we have bought happiness for ourselves.
It is a searing inditement that this abuse of compassion is forever stalking us and in our way, a symptom of greed and self-indulgence, that each time we find ourselves caught up in the moral maze of life, we cheat for a while and reward ourselves with the thought of, “If I have this then I can be happier now.”
For those with an ounce of perspective and humanity in them, the problems of the modern world make for grim thought, it is no wonder we are overwhelmed and feel burdened by all that we carry as baggage, and yet we are also sneering of those who have, in our eyes, an easier life, the relationship that is uneven, the spendthrift and the profligate who share a bed, it is in this balance that Devin Tuel artistic nature examines the duality of perspective, and in her nom de plume Native Harrow she finds that place where we can be Happier Now, if only we learn to share our humanity better.
Happiness is not found in the whole, but in the detail, the art of seeing the complete and not being cynical about the smallest flaw, and in Native Harrow’s Happier Now, that picture sought is a fresh painting unveiled, the scene in which she brings songs such as Can’t Go On Like This, Blue Canyon, Something You Have, Hung Me Out To Dry and the album title track, Happier Now to life is based in the palette of the thunderstorm that gives way to blue skies and time in the calm.
If we are overwhelmed by the noise of the world, we can either shrink back and avoid its banshee like insistence, or we can seek the way to reduce the stress by being compassionate enough to hold out our own thoughts gently and asking others to join in the serenity that is possible; it is a mantra that defines Happier Now and one that is bound by a sensational set of reflective songs.
Native Harrow’s Happier Now is out now.
Native Harrow will be performing at Leaf on Bold Street, Liverpool on September 8th.
Ian D. Hall