La Côte West

In September 2016, Henry Canyons flew to Biarritz--a small coastal surf town in the Basque country of Southwestern France-- to participate in a two month long artist residency with BoiSakré productions. As their first musician, they were excited to have Henry in their program, but still upheld similar goals and aspirations as the visual artists they've hosted in the past. As part of their nonprofit, they present the work of every resident at the end of their stay in an effort to help communicate the artist's experience of Biarritz, the Basque country, France in general, the role as artist resident, etc, in the hopes of providing a foreign lens of how this unique part of France impacts their work. With his mother's French heritage giving him a point of reference, Canyons was familiar with Biarritz, but arrived ready to document what lay before him. There was no predetermined length of project or pre-requisite of form or style of work given by BoiSakré. This gave Henry the opportunity to draw from whatever sources of inspiration that he chose. Pooling production from six different producers, he allowed each beat to set the tone and let the vignettes of his day to day experience weave their way into his songs. Especially taken with Biarritz's spectacular light and coastlines, he approached each song as a kind of portait. Well Acquainted Strangers played the role of the long lost friend. The Line Up as an ode to the ocean and preeminent surf culture. What We Haven't Even Had Yet as an anthem of self motivation and progress forward amidst a foreign, yet exciting journey. Last Time I Was Here, You Were Here reconciled sentiments of longing, loneliness, and furthered understanding of a meaningful relationship. It Takes Time became Henry's psuedo mantra, as a mechanism for living in the present. Round and Round ties many of the loose ends of the project and sends off the listener with the notion that everything will come full circle. Much of the imagery and themes deal with the natural surroundings of Biarritz and its picturesque coastline. The artwork depicts the scene of La Grande Plage (the Big Beach) in downtown Biarritz.