Songs to Sing and Dance To is the debut album by Chicago born LA based musician Tom Henry. Produced by Kai Slater of Sharp Pins & Lifeguard, and featuring contributions from him on nearly every track, the album includes twelve rock n’ roll songs to sing and dance to–influenced by power pop, garage rock, psych, and folk. The album was mixed & mastered by Jonny Bell (Tijuana Panthers, Young Guv, Hanni El Khatib) at Jazzcats in Long Beach.
Album opener “Close Your Eyes” kicks things off in the best of ways, mixing pop hooks with songwriting that’s straight from the heart ala Alex Chilton. Lead single “Bella” opens with jangly acoustic guitars before eventually building to an emotional climax of psych-punk energy, “I Miss You” leans into Big Star influenced power-pop, and “Arthouse” captures the thrill of a midnight movie with its garage-rock guitars and Farfisa organ, reminiscent of The Modern Lovers.
Meanwhile, the album’s B-Side is full of heavy hitters – “Oh, How I’ve Missed the Sun!” recalls The Raspberries, “Do You Wanna Be With Me?” co-written with bandmate Ben Jordan (The Private Eye) recalls the chiming folk-rock of the Byrds, and “The Mountains” mines country-folk influences complete with high lonesome pedal steel.
“It takes real talent to make pop perfection sound so easy” - ★★★★ Shindig!
“Tom Henry has such a gift it’s hard to put into words…everyone in the room will feel their hearts flutter into the cosmos when they hear his songs.” - Hallogallo
“Something in the craft of this song finds me reminiscing on my childhood growing up and listening to 50s rock n’ roll songs, though you can also kind of hear bits of Costello or Lowe in the delivery.” - Austin Town Hall
“a whirlwind of off-kilter melodies, bouncing synths, and soaring harmonies.” - Glide Magazine
“an emotional powerhouse, blending power-pop charm with garage-rock grit.” - Psychedelic Baby Magazine
