Ross Jennings, vocalist and co-songwriter for internationally renowned progressive metallers, Haken, will release his debut solo album. A Shadow Of My Future Self on November 19th via Graphite Records. He has released an official video for the new single, "Catcher In The Rye". Check it out below.

In contrast to his prog metal day job, Ross has a major soft spot for American AOR, mainstream 90’s arena rock and indie pop. All of which have influenced the direction of A Shadow Of My Future Self.

Of the song, Ross says "'Catcher In The Rye' is probably my favourite piece on the album for a number of reasons. It came to me as I was making final decisions on which songs to put on the album and which order etc… and as if something tapped me on the shoulder as if to say "you’re album isn’t done” another song just came to me. It’s an all too familiar tale of the songs that take 15 minutes to write… this was one of those! 
 
Musically 'Catcher In the Rye' is somewhat of a cross between ‘Everybody’s Talkin’ by Harry Nilsson and Elbow’s ‘Sad Captains’, most evident in the inclusion of a brass solo performed by Norwegians ‘Blasemafian'. Vikram Shankar performed my piano ideas deliciously, adding some Bruce Springsteen-esque influence to the choruses too. I’m more than proud to wear those influences on my sleeve here.
 
The lyrics aren’t based on the famous novel J.D Salinger, but the song does share its title because it was the last book a late friend of mine lent to me before sadly passing away. The lyrics are about how much I miss him, touching on some memories we had and the ones we never made. I deeply feel like this song was his gift to me from the great beyond which is why it’s such a special one for me.
 
After several unfortunate cancellations and schedule clashes with various film-makers, in the end I was forced to get creative and shoot the video myself. Despite not being the initial vision for the video, this ended up being a far more fitting visual companion than what I had in my head. I fortunately have some film-making experience but most importantly I had the last minute help of Kyros’ Shelby Logan Warne to edit my footage, and she absolutely amazingly brought it all to life. Amidst the stress of deadlines, sometimes you just have to have faith and trust that things will work out for the best."

A Shadow Of My Future Self finds Ross on a musical journey fans have not heard him explore professionally before, writing very personal songs in what can only be described as a love letter to Ross’s extensive record collection and eclectic musical upbringing that were the foundation to his musical inspiration. This album in question starts on the fringe of a country road, navigates indie pop, anthemic rock, power ballads, and culminates in some epic prog.

Ross has the following to say about the project: “Despite my history, I rarely regard myself as a metal singer, so I was in desperate need to scratch a long time itch and make a record that appeals to the broader spectrum of my musical palette. With A Shadow Of My Future Self, I unashamedly wear my influences on my sleeve but this is the kind of music I always imagined I’d be making before I took the path less traveled into prog metal… Needless to say, this is somewhat more accessible and radio-friendly stuff!”