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New Orleans-based Hans Williams – one of the defining new voices in indie folk – has announced the November 13 release of his debut album Songs for The Neighbors via Giant Music. His most complete statement yet, the LP was born in the backyard of his New Orleans home, where Williams and his friends would gather to make music as neighbors listened from their doors, windows, and gardens. Produced by Williams’ longtime collaborator and housemate Phin Choukas (Noah Kahan) and recorded at the house, Songs for the Neighbors carries that same spirit of closeness and community throughout, exploring the people around us, the relationships that shape us, and the impulse to keep reaching toward one another.
Today Williams offers a taste of the album by way of the Marvin Gaye-evoking horn-kissed soul of “Harding Road.” He shares, “‘Harding Road’ is a love song dedicated to the neighborhood I live in and the people who make up my life. At the beginning of the year, I started dating my friend and roommate. I wrote the song in a moment of reconciliation – we had taken a break and quickly realized how much we needed each other. It’s named after a nearby street in New Orleans called Harding Drive, but I thought road sounded better. I hope it inspires many future healthy neighborly relations.”
Listen/share “Harding Road” here
“Harding Road” follows last month’s “True Feelings,” Williams first new music since signing to Giant. He recently debuted both singles, alongside fan favorites, on a tour produced in partnership with Playhouse. The run featured intimate backyard performances in select cities across the South, with a portion of proceeds donated to local reproductive health organizations. Looking ahead, Williams has a run of dates in October – all shows are listed below and tickets are available here.
Songs for the Neighbors, was recorded largely live and on it Williams is joined by the same group of musicians who have become fixtures of his backyard sessions and live shows: Elliott Miller (bass), Isaac Worley (drums), Richard Rourke (keys), Jonny Campos (pedal steel), and Joe Pizzolato (guitar). “I think there’s something really sacred about a bunch of people playing music simultaneously and having those frequencies happening all at once instead of trying to completely choreograph the whole thing,” he says. Sonically the album trades in soulful, dreamy folk that borrows here and there from funk, psychedelia, and country – all tied together by the sweetness, melancholy, and joy that run freely through Williams’ nimble voice. Songs for the Neighbors is aptly intimate while reaching toward connection, built by being together.
Hans Williams tour dates
10/3 – Strings Music Pavillion- Steamboat Springs, CO
10/4 – Belly Up Aspen- Aspen, CO
10/6 – Historical Armory – Fort Collins, CO
10/8 – The Fox Theater – Boulder, CO
10/10 – Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO
10/11 – Black Sheep – Colorado Springs, CO
