Dhani Harrison released a new single, “Motorways (Erase It),” which starts out with a semi fast beat against Harrison’s vocals. The lyrics include, “All those dreams they take from you when you’re young. And all those dreams you can feel yourself waking up.” the drum beat flows against Harrison’s vocals which sound eerily similar to his father. The steady voice and high pitch are on par with one another.

The new release from Harrison is his first new music since the release of his debut solo album, IN///PARALLEL. In between touring , Harrison has also scored films and shows including Matangi/Maya/M.I.A., the documentary about the musician M.I.A.; HBO’s The Case Against Adnan Syed and Shepard Fairey’s Obey Giant documentary.

Talking about the inspiration behind “Motorways (Erase It),” Harrison says: “I’ve spent a lot of time stuck in traffic on the M4 motorway going into London recently, it always makes me think of the Banksy that used to say ‘it’s not a race’… it’s definitely not a race now.”

As George Harrison’s son, Dhani Harrison, in collaboration with Jeff Lynne, completed his father’s final album, Brainwashed after his death in 2001. Harrison won a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance, in “Marwa Blues” in 2004 and also played acoustic guitar in the Concert for George on the first anniversary of his father’s death. Before the finale, McCartney relayed to the audience, “Olivia said that with Dhani up on stage, it looks like George stayed young and we all got old”, referencing the physical similarities between father and son.

In a Daily Mail UK interview, Harrison says, “I always knew that if I was going to do anything and be taken seriously in my life, I had to work and work very, very hard. Because you can get a foot in the door by being George Harrison’s son, but you can’t stay there. Everyone’s looking at me thinking, “He’s got it handed to him on a plate; he got that because of his dad. So if you do well they curse you, and if you do badly they curse you.”

Either way, in 2019 we are happy to hear from Harrison and listen to his creative work. Through the years he has performed at Coachella and Lollapalooza three times and in 2010 joined Perry Farrell for a cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane.” He also joined Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, Jeff Lynne, Prince and others for “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” for his father’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Jeff Lynne’s ELO 2019 Tour Dates
07/13 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
07/16 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
07/18 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
07/20 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
07/23 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
07/25 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
07/27 – Chicago, IL – United Center
07/30 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena
08/01 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena

UPDATE (7/31): Dhani Harrison has released a new video for “Motorways (Erase It),” which can be viewed below. The clip was directed by Liam Lynch.

Photo Credit: Brett Padelford