Mike Hanson, who performs under the name These Hands, released his new album Aquatic Blue on Oct. 30. The product is a collection of 12 tracks that took Hanson, along with a few collaborators, eight months to produce.

The album is a mixture of indie and folk with electronic influences.

“My sound is ever-changing. It’s a mixture of rhythmic music, soul, folk, rock, orchestral, ambient, tribal,” Hanson said.

The first two tracks of the LP are reserved and laid-back compared to the album’s second half, which is more experimental and varied in tempo and tone.

Aquatic Blue starts out slow and reflective with its opening track “Be Enough.” The song’s instrumentals fade in and out as if echoing from somewhere in the distance.

The vocals on the album’s first two tracks are gentle and careful. However, by the third track, “Time Wounds,” which is introduced with a heavy, resonating chord, Hanson’s voice picks up the pace.

The first five songs on the album evoke the feeling of watching the rain fall.

“Aquatic Blue,” the sixth song and Hanson’s favourite song, picks up the LP’s pace again. The songs that follow gain momentum and are slightly catchier than the opening tracks.

“It’s the concept that holds the album together as a whole,” Hanson said.

“Ride the River,” “A Painting” and “Outside Source II” are some of the more upbeat tracks included on the second half.

“Outside Source” is perhaps the most catchy, with a fast-paced opening that picks up in intensity whenever the sparse vocals join the instrumentals and with interspersed electric guitar riffs that build tension.

“I just pushed myself to put something out that I enjoyed, experimenting until I found the desired sound for each track,” Hanson said.

The album maintains a consistent, easy-listening feel through all 12 songs. Hanson said this reflects his own attitude towards composing.

“My music is therapeutic to me. It comforts me and gets me excited about rhythms and going through different states of energy and feelings. It’s an experience that I’m happily addicted to,” Hanson said, adding that he is also passionate about painting.

“It helps balance out the visual creative side.”

These Hands will be performing in Saskatoon alongside Evening Hymns at Vangelis on Nov. 10. Aquatic Blue is currently streaming and can be downloaded at thesehands.bandcamp.com.

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Photo: Supplied