Travis Hayes’ sophomore LP, Sleepless, encompasses many restless nights where the San Francisco singer-songwriter found himself grieving until all hours of the night. “Two years ago, I had the wind knocked out of me,” Hayes explains. “One of my closest friends was hit and killed by a drunk driver.” Hayes found that in order to abate the fear, frustration, anger and exhaustion, he’d need to grieve by means of writing more music. He’d established his emotive and unbridled approach to songwriting with his 2014 debut full-length, Young Daze, but a period of personal trials and tribulations has since pushed him to new creative heights. If Young Daze captured the wistful optimism and re-imagining of youth, Sleepless is about regaining the strength to stand up, afterlife slams you into the concrete one too many times.
After all that’s transpired, Hayes has grown exponentially as an artist, receiving praise for both Young Daze (The Deli Magazine called it “fresh” and “modern”) and 2015’s Love Songs EP, featuring ex-Tsunami Bomb vocalist, Emily Whitehurst (SF Weekly dubbed the record “heartfelt,” while Infectious Magazine called it “a beautifully crafted EP”). Meanwhile, Hayes threw himself into touring and performing all over the country, making waves at festivals like SXSW, Noise Pop, Off Beat, Phono del Sol and Ocean Beach Music & Arts. Hayes has also shared stages with Nathaniel Rateliff, Langhorne Slim and The Record Company. His songwriting and structure now reflect the kind of maturity and depth that come from hard-won commitment and trying life experiences.
The story of Sleepless really begins in tragedy. The heart-wrenching collection of songs then truly demonstrate what it means to deal with death and the accompanying dread: The depth and joy of love, the agony of loss, the terror of embracing hurt, and the ultimate release of healing are all on display. Sleepless is the sound of migrating from one scarred and fractured shell to another. Despite all the anguish, Sleepless is ultimately marked by a deep sense of hope; the will and desire to keep moving forward, even in the shadow of grief.
“Songwriting has always yielded this cathartic release for me, but the songs I wrote for Sleepless were different,” says Hayes. “These songs gave me a place to be vulnerable and angry, leading me to eventually find a place of hope. They gave me a place to find strength again. What started out as a laundry list of scary things that kept me up at night became a collection of songs that detailed all the reasons why I make it through the day.”
Glide is thrilled to premiere “Harrowed Hearts” (below) a ravenous anthem that illustrates Hayes’ knack for sublime orchestration and precise vocals making for a lost 2000 era Coldplay B side. While there are many rightful comparisons to Hayes’ musicianship, there is a trace of sumptuous creative singularity that makes for Hayes one of this year’s defining new artists.
“‘Harrowed Hearts’ was one of the first songs I wrote for this new album. I’d been pursuing music seriously for a few years and had reached a point of exhaustion. I was writing, recording and touring non-stop for little to no money, and it was catching up to me. I felt myself becoming more disenchanted by the idea of ‘following my dreams.’ Music was the only thing I’d ever wanted to do with my life and I was at a loss of how I could actually pursue the thing I love, while also making a living.
I originally wrote ‘Harrowed Hearts’ around feeling alone and overwhelmed in the pursuit of a dream. In making this album, it has instead become an ode to all who choose to follow their dreams. You are not alone. I hope you find the support you need to carry on.”
Travis Hayes’ Sleepless is out March 1st.
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