Got nostalgia? Gordon’s Grandson is making music for his namesake that feels like a memory.
Gordon’s Grandson is the creative alias of 20-year-old Harry Prior, the Naarm / Melbourne based indie music sensation and part time actor, (and full-time fashion icon). He records, produces, mixes, masters, and does pretty much every element of his artistry himself.
“My music has a lot of different flavours from a lot of different places”
The Tasmanian-born artist has grown a large and dedicated audience through his DIY-production style and deeply resonant, heartfelt lyrics. With only a handful of live shows under his belt and crowds already singing along with his every word, Gordon’s Grandson is an independent artist proving that you don’t need a label for your fans to find you.
With connection, and what at times feels like soul-bearing honesty, at the heart of his creative output, his artist name ties everything together in touching tribute to his late grandfather, Gordon.
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Like a mixtape of his influences, Gordon’s Grandson splices the sounds of his life together to create an indie rock take on retro pop, that’s as nostalgic as it is refreshing.
“I guess the genres are like cuisines and the ingredients are the instruments, but I feel like I make a crazy fusion meal and every meal is a little bit different.”
Songs turn into time capsules filled with his own recorded soundbites and layered with an eccentric use of instruments that remind you of songs from a time gone by, but morph into something brand new.
“It’s whimsical, silly, romantic, usually upbeat, I guess, and slightly like lo-fi, with maybe like a bit of a quirky character.”
Speaking on his sound, Gordon’s Grandson notes it all came about very naturally through a mix of his own listening habits, as well as his friends and parents. He takes inspiration from an eclectic mix of acts ranging from Duran Duran, David Bowie, Elton John, and Queen, but also acts like TV Girl, Gorillaz, Toro Y Moi and even The Beatles. He credits his sound to things like the confidence of 80s Brit Pop, as well as the city he now finds himself surrounded by.
“Melbourne is great because you can just see so much originality and fashion and stuff, so I think I just steal a lot of things I see from the street, which is really nice.”
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The music of Gordon’s Grandson creates a bridge between old pop rock and new indie pop rock worlds in so many ways, and it feel like the perfect summary of his musical and artistic journey.
He began playing music to his grandfather as a way to connect with him after a brain tumour left him partially paralysed with limited speech.
“I couldn’t really talk to him, but I’d play him a lot of music and stuff and he was, he knew all those old songs I was playing so his eyes would like light up.”
Hauling his portable keyboard into his grandfather’s nursing home to play for him, 8-year-old Harry went from playing piano for his grandfather to playing for the entire nursing home dining room. When other residents would ask who was playing, the response was always “Gordon’s grandson”.
“I just wanted to keep their name after he passed away. And yeah, it’s my artist project.”
GORDON’S GRANDSON – on your triple j and Unearthed airwaves all this week or visit his Unearthed page.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.abc.net.au ’
