Harrison Storm - Empty Garden (Nettwerk) (13th Floor Album)

Harrison Storm teamed up with Stockholm-based producer Freddy Alexander to create his sophomore album, Empty Garden.

The Melbourne-based folk-alt composer explores themes of heartbreak, loss, and acceptance throughout the record. Written in the aftermath of a significant breakup, Empty Garden paints a landscape rife with uncertainty, longing, and betrayal. Storm balances folk guitar melodies with reverberated guitars, creating an ethereal atmosphere that captures the emotional void following a breakup.

The first single, Someone Else, features a duet with Swedish singer Winona Oak. “I can’t hold all this rage, you broke me in the worst way, said you were out with friends, and you’d love me til’ the end.” The strummed guitar provides a mellow, subdued foundation, while Storm’s sustained melodic notes hum with a mix of resigned despair, bitterness, and rage. The delay effects and reverberating guitar during the instrumental sections add a dreamlike quality, replicating the shock and incredulity of betrayal. Oak’s vocals complement Storm beautifully, especially in the second verse, where the sustained notes feel rough and earthy, like waves or air sweeping over, capturing loneliness and pain.

Empty Garden evokes the energy of early Mumford and Sons. One of the more upbeat tracks, it channels rhythmically dominant folk elements. In the chorus, Storm breaks free from his restrained folk delivery, culminating in passion and intensity with a rich falsetto: “I see you in my dreams, the way you feel so real. My love, we had an empty garden.” The vocal performance is compelling and full of zeal.

Under the Sail feels like a lullaby at sea. Gentle guitar and Storm’s soft voice ebb and flow like waves. Electric guitar with subtle delay effects adds an ethereal, dreamlike atmosphere, contrasting beautifully with the swinging rhythm: “I can’t wait just one more year, to be forged by the rest, my heart still just wants you near, to place mine up in heights, my body feels safe here, with you in this place dear.”

Temporary Friend features a strong, intimate melody carried by guitar and Storm’s soft vocals. In the chorus, drums expand the soundscape, reminiscent of Kaleo’s All the Pretty Girls, especially in the use of layered guitar textures.

The album opens with For Your Love, featuring angelic voices and a soft folk guitar. Storm’s low, earthy voice contrasts with gentle keys, creating space and expansiveness. Drums add a calm, heartbeat-like rhythm in the second verse. The second chorus builds with energetic drums, off-beat rhythms, and synthesizers as Storm repeats: “For your love, I waited, I waited.”

Moon and Back showcases experimental melodic lines with unexpected twists that pair beautifully with steady drums and piano chords. The result is melancholic and folky, evoking loneliness. Lyrics like, “My body craves us, my bedroom isn’t used to strangers, oooh, I’m still waiting, wasting away,” convey the aching intimacy of the track.

Find A Way is a more cheerful, upbeat folk song, with strummed guitar and layered vocals. Drums and keys open up in the chorus, giving the song a fairytale-like quality. Lines such as, “I believe I’ll find a way to let the colour fill my days. Chasing another road. I can see that someone else has placed their worry on my day. Take care of all you hold,” combine with deep, resonant drums and a beautiful violin instrumental. The slow, long-held vocal notes give the track a dreamy, contemplative feel.

Empty Garden is an immersive journey through heartbreak and healing. Storm’s combination of ethereal guitars, intimate vocals, and dynamic instrumentation makes this sophomore album both emotionally resonant and musically captivating.

Lexi Tuenter

Empty Garden is out now on via Nettwerk Music