New Jersey/New York native and Stockholm based DJ, producer and songwriter Harrison First distills a turbulent 12 months into standout new album “WAAR” on his label JNRY FIRST. The 11 track record is rich in personal storytelling and traverses afro house and other rhythmic sounds from the African Diasperia.
First is a multidisciplinary creative who produces as well as working on world building projects in film and design. He has featured on Saint Jhn’s, MAPEI, and Kahlo tour playing at various clubs across the US and Europe, and made it onto the cover of official Spotify playlists such as ‘Hot New Dance’. He has more than 100m streams and has collaborated with artists like Ängie, Teflon Sega, The Good Son, and more.
WAAR is short for wavering as a reed and is the raw, unfiltered story of the artists past year. It’s an album born out of chaos, heartbreak and transformation. It kicks off with the title cut which features a spoken word and ambient synths that transport you deep into his world.
From there, ‘game theory’ rides on deft Afro tech with revealing lyrics and a mix of sleek synths and organic percussion, and ‘dragon’ brings deeper vibes with intimate spoken words. The likes of ‘onyx eyes’ pair serene grooves with confessional words about finding happiness.
At the heart of the album is ‘move on’, a moody blend of sombre bass and lithe synths with treated vocals reflecting on the breakdown of a relationship while the muted chords rebuild a broken heart.
‘us’ shimmers with melancholic pads and bubbly drums as auto-tuned vocals bring heart-wrenching emotion and ‘calls i can’t return’ brings cautious optimism, and hope. ‘healthy pain’ tugs at the heart once more with bold bass, an aching female hook and spoken words about facing up to our own decisions, and ‘where was God’ is a tender ambient closer.
This is a most revealing and personal album shaped by personal struggle but turned into a beacon of hope.
Artist: Harrison First
Title: WAAR LP
Record Label: JNRY FIRST
Release Date: 10th October 2025
Tracklist:
1) wavering as a reed
2) game theory
3) dragon
4) always me
5) onyx eyes
6) move on
7) us
8) fake tears
9) calls i can’t return
10) healthy pain
11) where was God
