Dhani Harrison, Nigel Godrich Soar As Dragonflies

Dhani Harrison and esteemed Radiohead/Beck producer Nigel Godrich have teamed up for a new collaborative project, Dragonflies, with the duo’s self-titled debut album set for release Sept. 18 via Dark Horse Records/BMG.

The announcement arrives alongside the project’s first single, “Slower,” an atmospheric opening track accompanied by a surreal, hand-drawn video from Bristol animator and director RUFFMERCY.

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Dragonflies brings together two musicians with decades of intertwined experience. Harrison, the son of George Harrison whose career has encompassed solo records, the bands thenewno2 and Fistful of Mercy and an extensive body of film and television scoring work, first connected creatively with Godrich during the pandemic. Harrison had reached out for advice on music that would eventually become the album Innerstanding, but the conversations soon evolved into something more ambitious.

Godrich invited Harrison to his Brixton studio, where the pair began assembling songs from tape loops, working with spontaneity rather than meticulous planning. “It’s like one person throwing something in the air and the other person catching it,” Godrich said of the creative process.

For Harrison, the collaboration also meant relinquishing some control. Rather than overseeing every aspect of production, he focused on singing and guitar while Godrich shaped the music in real time. “He’s a machine,” Harrison said. “He has strong opinions about what he wants to hear, and for me it’s very humbling. That’s why it’s such a new experience.”

Influenced by artists such as Portishead’s Beth Gibbons, Japan’s David Sylvian and the late Ryuichi Sakamoto, Dragonflies blends organic instrumentation with electronic textures into what the duo describes as “earthbound space rock.” Additional percussion comes from Joey Waronker (Godrich’s bandmate in Ultraísta and Atoms for Peace) while renowned arranger David Campbell (Beck’s father) contributes strings to songs including “In Between.”

The project’s name also carries personal significance. “Dragonflies are a symbol of spiritual enlightenment,” Harrison explained. “When Nigel suggested the name I was like, yeah, sold, done. Whenever I see a dragonfly, it’s magical.”

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