Harry Kappen was born in Groningen, in the north of the Netherlands, and spent more than twenty years working as a music therapist in youth care before moving to Mexico. ‘After the Crossing’ is the first album he made on the other side of that move, his fifth since Covid, and every note of it is played, sung and produced by him. The new single ‘Good Samaritans’ is a firm, energetic rock song with Mexican singer Danna Gomez lifting the choruses and a Bowie nod running through the bones of it.
After the Crossing is the first record you made after leaving Groningen for Mexico. Did the move change how the songs came out, or change what you wanted to write about?
The way I make music hasn’t changed; I compose in my own style, regardless of where I am in the world. I brought most of my equipment and instruments along with me.
However, many of the themes on After the Crossing relate to the move from the Netherlands to Mexico (listen, for instance, to ‘No Delays’, ‘While Life’s Rushing By’, ‘Distant Shore’, and ‘Take a Step’). They deal with the decision to relocate or my love for my Mexican wife; the transition also inspired me to write about others who had to move under less positive circumstances (‘Distant Shore’).
You learned to play all those instruments for the therapy work. What did this work teach you about songwriting?
Musically, it hasn’t had an impact; I had been writing songs for years before I became a therapist. In terms of lyrics, however, the subjects have become more personal; I write about what I see and read in the media, and about things happening around me. Constant reflection during therapy sessions has made me more aware of how everything around me affects me.
‘Good Samaritans’ is pointed about the gap between people who quietly step up and a culture busy with its own reflection. Was there someone specific in your head when you wrote it?
Not at first; what I mainly see on social media is that everyone is very self-absorbed—everyone has an opinion, appearances have become far more important, there is a supposed pursuit of the ideal human being, and everyone seems intelligent, good-looking, and successful.
Yet, daily reality is far grittier and less polished. Empathy and compassion seem to have become less important. And when this American president started presenting himself as a worthy candidate for the Nobel Prize, that was the last straw for me. I wanted to write something to shine a spotlight on people who—driven by empathy and without self-aggrandizement—selflessly step up for others.
To me, they are the heroes of today who are truly deserving of a Nobel Prize.
You play, sing and produce the lot. So, honestly - which instrument are you quietly worst at, and did it make the album anyway?
I play guitar, drums, bass, and keyboards—and I sing, of course. However, I don’t play the violin and I haven’t mastered any wind instruments. Fortunately, there are good solutions for that when recording on a computer. Beyond that, I have extensive experience producing both my own work and that of others, and I am able to forge everything into a natural, cohesive whole.
Your list of favorites runs Bowie, Lennon & McCartney, Thom Yorke, Neil Young, Jeff Beck, Prince - and Knower. That’s a hell of a left turn. Who put you onto them, and did any of it leak into this record?
I don’t think much of the examples you mentioned really came through on this album—with the possible exception of Bowie. Just because I cite all those names as favorites doesn’t mean I want to imitate them. Rather, they inspire me to create new music; they spur me into action. That’s what happened with Knower too. I saw them live in Groningen for the first time and was hugely impressed. It immediately gave me the urge to get to work on my own music.
Louis Cole and Genevieve Artadi of Knower are excellent musicians whom I greatly admire; they do their own thing, exactly the way they want to. That is what inspires me most.
Danna Gomez lifts the choruses on this one, and you’re rehearsing with a new Mexican band. After years of being the whole operation yourself, what’s it like handing parts of it over - and when do we get to see it live?
Yes, after all that studio work, it was time to start playing the music live. Naturally, I handpicked the musicians I thought could play the original material as faithfully as possible. But the other musicians’ talent also ensures there’s plenty of room for musical variations and detours. It’s really special for me to hear others playing my music.
There aren’t any shows scheduled just yet, but that will definitely happen—I’m thinking early in the new year. We’re even working on arranging shows across Europe.
At the moment, however, I’m also busy wrapping up production on my new album; that’s coming out in January, too. There’s even a Christmas single coming out this year. So, things are pretty busy—but also exciting and fun. :)
Harry Kappen has built a career on doing the whole thing himself, and ‘After the Crossing’ is the sound of a man who moved continents and carried on writing.
With another album due in January, a Christmas single before it and European dates taking shape, there is a lot more coming. On this evidence it is worth the wait.