Kristian Matsson returns as The Tallest Man On Earth with Henry St., his sixth studio album following 2012's There's No Leaving Now, 2015's Dark Bird Is A Home, and the self-released I Love You, It's a Fever Dream in 2019. Henry St. notably marks the first time he recorded an album in a band setting. "My entire career I've been a DIY person – mostly fueled by the feeling that I didn't know what I was doing, so I'd just do everything myself," he explains. But now, longing for the energy that's only released when creating together with others, Matsson invited his friends to come and play.

Nick Sanborn (of Sylvan Esso) produced Henry St., which includes contributions from Ryan Gustafson (of The Dead Tongues) on guitar, lap steel and ukulele, TJ Maiani on drums, CJ Camerieri (of Bon Iver) on trumpet and French horn, Phil Cook on piano and organ, Rob Moose (of Bon Iver, yMusic) on strings and Adam Schatz on saxophone. "They opened everything up, and understood what the songs that I'd written needed: sounds that I couldn't ever have thought of or created myself. We recorded so many of the songs live in the studio, playing, having fun and being really open with each other," Matsson shares.

An overarching theme of Henry St., he says, is "how to be a person in this world." The title track is about the deception that, "as individuals, we're told that we should strive for success. But when we have it, it doesn't solve anything. The song is about stepping away and thinking: why am I actually doing this?" "Looking for Love" is one of those songs about Matsson's stubborn optimism, and a shining example of Sanborn's influence on the album. The song "Every Little Heart," he says, came from a feeling of fearlessness, a confidence in making music after two years of relative silence. 

Matsson's longing for social interchange, after months spent with only his crops, led to the collaboration that delivered the warm, unique and sprawling sound of Henry St. "It's the most playful, most me album yet, because it covers so many of the different noises in my head. When you overthink things, you get further away from your original ideas. And God knows I overthink things when I'm by myself." The time in isolation also brought him some newfound peace of mind. "Having been away from it taught me that making music and performing is what I'm doing for the rest of my life, and I'm so grateful for it. It has given me new confidence and playfulness. This is what I do. It's unconditional."