Grammy nominee Hiss Golden Messenger has released “Hardlytown,” a new song and video (directed by KidEthnic) from the highly anticipated album Quietly Blowing It (Merge Records), out on June 25th. Watch “Hardlytown,” below where the artist once again drops his hummable hooks and thought-provoking lyrics that have come to define Hiss Golden Messenger as one of today’s most vital singer-songwriters.
“The times that we’re living through have made me think, in so many different ways large and small, about our obligations to one another,” says Taylor. “How much to give away? How much to keep for ourselves? How much is too much, and how much is not enough? Maybe the conversation that the mother and son have throughout ‘Hardlytown’ was my attempt to reckon with the tension that exists between selflessness and selfishness.” He adds, “We all know some version of this conversation. We’re currently in the middle of it as a country and as a species. I have two children, and I’m trying to teach them about what it means to be, and the ways we all stand to benefit from being, good neighbors. It’s sort of a simple lesson in theory, but more complicated in practice. But then, I guess all good things are.”
Quietly Blowing It was written, arranged, and produced by Taylor and is the follow-up to 2019’s critically acclaimed release Terms of Surrender, which received a 2021 Grammy Award nomination for Best Americana Album. The album’s soulful first single “Sanctuary” spent six weeks at #1 on the Americana Radio Singles Chart. Special guests and contributors on Quietly Blowing It include Griffin and Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, Tony Award-winning artist Anaïs Mitchell, Zach Williams of The Lone Bellow, Nashville guitar great Buddy Miller, and producer/musician Josh Kaufman of Bonny Light Horseman.
