After the release of his first two EPs in 2020, Anglo-Australian musician Thomas Headon is back with his latest release, ‘Victoria’.
Having made an instant impact on the indie-pop music scene, 2021 was a big year for Headon.
Not only did he complete two UK tours – including dates at Nottingham’s Glee Club and Rescue Rooms – and play a handful of festivals including Reading and Leeds, but he also released four new singles.
‘Nobody Has To Know’ was one of those singles and serves as the opening song of the new Victoria EP.
It’s a fun and upbeat song, with lively sonics and instantly catchy guitar riffs that dominate your ears.
Written about a secret ‘situationship’, the song embodies the exhilarating experience behind the mystery.
/ ‘And nobody has to know, that I’m here all the time, I could just sneak in at night’ /
As Headon explains: “The song follows the innocence of that relationship, but I also wanted it to be a banging tune that was really fun to listen to and play live.”
The second track on the EP is titled ‘How Do I Know?’ and was the third and final single to be released in January 2022.
Navigating the confusion of young love, Headon explains that “it’s basically a song about questioning whether you’re in love with someone or whether it’s just an in-the-moment feeling.”
/ ‘I wanna fall in love for the night, or if it’s the moment, how do I, how do I know?’ /
Headon wrote the song when he was back home in Australia over the summer and so explained that he thinks “it’s super bright and fun for that reason.”
It’s a very fun song to hear Thomas sing live and it definitely gets the crowd jumping around with one another.
The next track is ‘Strawberry Kisses’, which has quickly become a fan favourite since the song was performed throughout Headon’s tours before its official release.
/ ‘And I didn’t think that she would like me, but now she wants to call me baby’ /
Described as an honest and straightforward song, Headon explains that it’s his “experience of spending a night with someone who I didn’t really expect to.”
He added: “It was a classic experience of ‘they’re out of my league’ suddenly turning into ‘never mind, this might be going somewhere.”
The title track ‘Victoria’ follows; a song dedicated to Headon’s first love.
While Headon has said that for the most part, “the songs were written very quickly”, Victoria went through several versions before the final recording.
/ ‘Oh baby, uh, Victoria, I’d say I love her but that’s way too soon’ /
They say that you’ll never truly get over your first love and there is no doubt that Headon confirms this statement.
The continued catchy guitar riffs and prominent drum beat are what makes this song my favourite, while the instantly catchy chorus makes it arguably Headon’s best ever work.
The fifth and final song on the EP is ‘The Most Beautiful Thing’; a love song which Headon has prefaced in interviews by saying “when I meet my wife, this is what I’m going to think.”
/ ‘No matter how much we fight, I think I could stare into her eyes and fall in love again every time’ /
As a sweet and slow ballad, the song makes a change from the rest of the EP.
Headon has admitted that this song is his favourite as he was able to wear his heart fully on his sleeve.
To celebrate the release of Victoria, Headon is heading out on a small record store tour, where he will be playing intimate shows and signing copies of the EP.
His show at Rough Trade Nottingham on March 16 is already fully sold out, so if you’re going, enjoy!
Rating: 9/10
Feature Image Credit: Warner Music