Tag: darren hayman

Darren Hayman Shares New Ditty

Leave a comment

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

Leave a comment

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

Leave a comment

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

Leave a comment

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

Leave a comment

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

Leave a comment

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!

Hear a Tune from Jessicas Brother

Leave a comment

Jessica’s Brother is a recently formed act, featuring Jonny Helm of The Wave Pictures; they’ve just released their first single, recorded by none other than Darren Hayman. The song seems to draw inspiration from a style akin to simple folk troubadours, but it’s the added instrumentation that elevates the number; I’m personally taking a liking to the light string arrangements haunting the backdrop. This song was released by the band’s label, Fika Recordings, who always have reliable hits; there’s promise of a full-length later in 2018 coming your way.

Another Ditty from The Hayman Kupa Band

Leave a comment

Two distinctive voices wrapping around each other isn’t always a success, unless its done by The Hayman Kupa Band. Darren and Emma tend to trade back verses on this new single, with a huge chorus really executing their united powers. Musically, you’re running through the fields on a sunny day, stopping from time to time to revel in the company of a great friend. Chugging chords help push the band’s pop objective with little percussive bits sneaking into the party from behind. Thanks to Fika Recordings we’ll all be able to relish the joys of life when they release the band’s LP on July 21st.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/325224240″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

New Music from The Hayman Kupa Band

Leave a comment

Darren Hayman and Emma Kupa have frequented my playing rotation throughout the last several years, sometimes together, but mostly separate. Fortunately for us all, they’ve been keeping their unique songwriting process going, and now have their self-titled album ready for our ears. Our first tease is this delightful new tune, illustrating how two great songwriters can up the ante by combining their powers together; I dig the way they play back and forth with varying lines. The song, aside from the vocals, has this relaxed pop feel to it; the guitar sound is great, particularly with that semi-Western chord sliding away behind “no more bombs.” Look for their finished album from Fika Recordings on July 21st.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/317243568″ params=”color=00aabb&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

1 2