Harry Cleverdon – Survival (2025)
Harry Cleverdon is a country singer and songwriter from Australia who has released his debut album, Survival, on LambFlatRecords. With ten songs and about thirty-two minutes of music, Survival is a zippy little thing that is a delightful listen on almost every level. From happy-go-lucky country anthems to introspective breakup songs to love songs that aren’t corny, this is about as good a debut album as anyone could hope for. While it’s ostensibly a country record, some songs like ‘Burning Bridges’ and ‘Drunken Messiah’ put one in mind of a bigger range of influences, and Cleverdon’s born-and-bred Australian voice, pleasantly free of twang, reminds one more of Boy and Bear’s Dave Hosking than any of a handful of notable country western voices.
The album opens with ‘House of Cards’, a plea to a lover to keep working on a relationship, and ends with ‘Know I am Too’, a tender song of commitment that spans the distance that keeps two people separate. In between, Cleverdon sings of his hopes and dreams, his failures, and triumphs. In song after song, his straightforward writing, beautiful melodies, and the indelible charm of his voice rescue his heart-on-the-sleeve honesty from the pit of corny cliches that other young songwriters might willingly throw themselves into.
His anthemic songs breathe life into country tropes that ought to have died natural deaths long, long ago. ‘Empty Bottles’ is a cheerful, singable drinking song that refuses the tear-in-your-beer approach, while the title track is a personal statement of purpose whose chorus is memorably concise and catchy. ‘Wake Up At Home’ is another country anthem built on the oft-used but reliable comparison of the City versus the Country that is informed by Cleverdon’s lived experience in the latter.
These songs liven up Survival and keep the pace moving in what is mostly an introspective album. In ‘Burning Bridges’ with its John Mayer-like melody, ‘Nothing For Myself’, and ‘Superman (Late Night Trance)’, Cleverdon takes a long look inside and questions his failures with unsparing honesty. ‘Nothing For Myself’ is particularly effective in how he turns a lazy Saturday into a pitiless scrutiny of his discipline and motivation for achieving his dreams. But the stand-out track on the album is unquestionably ‘Drunken Messiah’ – a dusty barnyard song reminiscent of Harvest-era Neil Young that sets judgment aside and peels back the barroom edifice on the need to speak, confess, and be heard.
Survival is a beautiful, focused album that finds resolution in love on the final two songs. The musical elements that hold everything together – acoustic guitar, piano, bass, drums, and pedal steel guitar – are beautifully recorded. The electric lead guitar subtly and melodically interacts with the elements on several of the songs and gives a brief solo at the end. But throughout the album, it’s the charm of Cleverdon’s voice, with traces of grit on the edges, that keeps you engaged. Start to finish, Survival is a clean, well-written, and well-executed album that is well worth a listen.
Find out more about Harry Cleverdon on his official website, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Spotify.
