REVIEW: Herin - Hiding In Plain Sight

After an eight year absence, former Tiles guitarist Chris Herin has come back with his debut solo LP - 'Hiding In Plain Sight'. The album acts as a eulogy to his father, whilst telling the story of his battle with Alzheimer's, that all of us who have seen our loved ones lost to Alzheimer's can resonate with; the love for a father from his son is woven through each verse as Herin revisits his father’s last decade with us. Herin has collated an impressive array of musicians to join him on this project, with the likes of Peter Frampton, Alex Lifeson, members of Porcupine Tree and Jethro Tull, and many more, all pitching in to create this emotional ride.

The first half of this album contains the majority of the prog rock influence, with opener 'Warning Signs' offering double layered guitar solos and memorable riffs to draw a listener in, followed by 'The Darkest Hour' which strikes a balance between classical riffs and classical instruments. The stand out track in this section would be track four, 'The Heart of You', a beautiful ballad where Chris discusses living for his father and being his memory, where he doesn’t allow the man his disease had made him overtake the man he knows him to be. The throat catches as Herin makes these promises over an upbeat backing track, finished by a driving guitar solo.

The second half of this project draws more on a country rock sound, matched with the angst of the time frame that Herin is discussing. There is a tonal shift from the joys of the past to the reality of the present, and the feeling of it ‘getting real’ resonates from sixth track 'Second Ending' as it moves between lyrics such as "hidden memories, silent dignitaries" and emotive violin and electric guitar solos. The highlight track is the penultimate 'Slow to Crumble', in a classic pairing of upbeat country rock sounds with raw lyrics about building one's own emotional defenses high enough that no one can see you suffer. The flute player on these tracks is a welcome addition and their contributions were much appreciated by the ear, while the rest of the soundscape makes this song a good fit for any dive bar or beginning of rock night playlist.

It must be said, however, that this album is guitar music. The majority of tracks have guitar outros lasting for 30-1m30s, and time that could have been spent adding complexity to some of the lyric writing appears to have been focused on these guitar efforts. Though conceding that as a guitar player Herin will feel the most confident in this space, as he is now a one man show there is only so much time you should dedicate to the area in which you feel the most comfort.

Fade outs were also chronically overused, with nine out of eleven tracks utilising this method of transition; utilising harder cuts in the outros would’ve added some welcome breaks to the formulas of many tracks that began to be repetitive in their structure, and could’ve been incorporated into the fragmented nature of the subject matter. Perhaps controversially, eighth track 'Safe House (Isolation)' stands out as the lowlight of the project - Chris appears to be doing his best Bowie impression, but ultimately falls down, with almost high concept lyrics and the track failing to crescendo over its 3:42 runtime. It feels cruel to say, knowing the subject matter, but making this a shorter interlude would’ve made it a much easier listen.

Overall, this debut project from Herin is a piece that will resonate with those that have walked the road of Alzheimer’s with their loved one, containing a strong balance between the prog and country rock elements that will have any avid guitar lover reaching for their instrument. The prog rock and country rock influences are woven deep into this album; the sonic energy of this project is one of searching through bustling markets and crowds to find someone using only a picture in your wallet. The tears often welled when listening to this album, despite the pitfalls, and tracks such as 'The Heart of You' and 'Slow to Crumble' offered welcome insight not oft heard of this life experience.

'Hiding In Plain Sight' will be released on November 1st via The Lasers Edge.

Words: Julia Brunton

Photos: Herin