Tag: darren hayman

Darren Hayman Readies New LP

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All apologies for starting off your Friday with such a sobering tune, but new music from Darren Hayman (and his Electric Guitars) is always a pleasure, thus I wanted to begin our day with this sad tune. “Somebody just died” is about as heartbreaking of an opening as you’re going to find, and the song dwells in this solemnity, waiting for the careful craft to unfold along with Darren’s storytelling. He’s pulling these powerful emotions out of his guitar this go round, and in doing so, he’s celebrating the friend he’s lost. The instrumental breakdown, in this setting, feels like a musical salute to the deceased, shooting notes off into the ether. You’ll get to hear this track on Amazing Things, the new LP from WIAIWYA, out later this year!

New Starts Share A Little Stone Single

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A muted opening with Darren Hayman weaving his lyrical magic kicks off the most recent single from New Starts. Those muted notes begin to open up, joined by another guitar, letting the tension build and build until the drums opt to join in more forcefully around the 50 second mark. Once those guitars continue their little shuffle, the track begins to feel like a country-western boogie; Hayman manages to break out near the 2 minute mark, stretching his voice into a little more heartbreak, matching up with title of the album, More Break-Up Songs; they release their new record on August 16th via Fika Recordings.

New Starts Share Asbestos Roof

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I’ve always been a big fan of Darren Hayman’s work since my early days discovering Hefner; he’s done a bunch of great projects and solo work along the way (like the Hayman Kupa Band), but at the moment, he’s focused on New Starts. They’ve offered a fresh glimpse at their forthcoming debut LP, with this charming reflection on getting older and the freedom that gives us. There’s great guitar interplay here between Darren and Joely Smith (also of adults), who Hayman has mentioned challenges his natural inclination to make everything pretty. Really looking forward to August 16th, when Fika Recordings will release the debut, More Break-Up Songs.

Darren Hayman Shares New Ditty

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I’m really looking forward to the release of Darren Hayman‘s new album, Home Time, so when a new single pops up, you know damn well I’m going to throw a few words behind it. On this number, he’s spliced together footage from the band members various home videos during lockdown, done a nice little wash of colors and thrown it behind this beautiful song. It might be my favorite of the singles that have leaked their way into the world; I love the backing vocals from Laura K and Hannah Winter, perfectly adding harmonic layers to Haymans tunes…particularly the charm right before the 2 minute mark. Home Time is out May 22nd via Fika Recordings.

Darren Hayman Announces Home Time

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I’m not sure where I first stumbled upon Darren Hayman, but his songwriting has been ever-present since that time, whether that’s part of Hayman Kupa Band, his solo work, or just revisiting Hefner; he’s always hanging about in my rotations. Barely a few months after the ambitious 12 Astronauts, Hayman has just announced Home Time with this playful little single. The track revolves around two lyrical lines, and that’s it; still, the thematic element kind of encourages you to get up and try and try again, no matter what the outcome…that seems to be the nature of all our lives, making sense of our failures. Home Time will be out this Spring via Fika Recordings.

Another Darren Hayman Tune

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I’ve previously mentioned Darren Hayman‘s ambitious 12 Astronauts LP, and while the album comes out Friday, there’s another teaser track regarding Pete Conrad awaiting. This one is particularly special to a Texan, as the title is an allusion to the Texas community in which most of the astronauts lived in the 1960s. Musically, there’s a simple, almost Casio-esque beat that Hayman uses as a backbone for his voice. But, it’s the chorus here that’s really special; the guitars drop in and there’s added sampled layers, with Darren spinning his charming melody right into your heart. Just skip to the 1:17 mark if you don’t believe me. 12 Astronauts is out Friday via WIAIWYA. Love pop, learn things.

Darren Hayman Shares Alan Bean

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It looks like WIAIWYA is dedicating itself to celebrating space exploration, having recently announced The Moon and Back; now, there’s a new LP on its way from one of my favorite songsmiths, Darren Hayman titled 12 Astronauts. Our first single is this grand ballad with sweeping accompaniment written as an ode to Alan Bean, the fourth person to walk on the Moon. While the track lends itself towards the life of Bean, Hayman is still able to capture a broader theme of perseverance that we can hopefully all identify with in our own lives. Never a bad time for Hayman to pop his head up in my world; think I’ll go listen to Hefner while I await the release of this LP…it’s out on July 12th.

Travel to the Moon and Back with WIAIWYA

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I’m not sure there’s a label quite like WIAIWYA; it’s a label that blends their love of pop with really creative releases (did you see that 7777777 series?). Today the label announces a 38 song compilation that celebrates the adventures of Apollo 11. They tease us with three delightful pop tracks from Darren Hayman (Hefner), Mikey Collins (Allo Darlin) and Whoa Melodic…all powerful songwriters who’ve graced these pages. Oh, and you loved that Jeanines track from earlier? They’re on here too! So, if you’re wanting to blast off into space and relive the Apollo adventures of 50 years ago, jump on this pop rocket ship and blast off…or just fall in love with all the effort put into another unique release.

Celebrate Hefner’s Debut 20 Years Later

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If you have spent any time at all on this site, you surely are aware of my affinity for

, and all his projects. Most recently, it’s been with the Hayman Kupa Band, but it all began with a band called Hefner. It’s possible that they were too far ahead of their time, featuring twanging jangling guitars, clever wordplay and hooks you can’t avoid. WIAIWYA, one of my fave labels in the UK just announced they’ll be re-releasing Breaking God’s Heart, the band’s debut LP. Give this song a listen, and perhaps you’ll see why 20 years on there’s still a huge interest in the band and their work. The reissue drops this July!

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