Hovvdy have been at it for a while now, but the indie rock duo hit new heights with their sprawling, ambitious self-titled double album, one of our favorites of 2024. Since then, they’ve collaborated with runo plum, and Charlie Martin played on Teethe’s acclaimed LP Magic Of The Sale. Hovvdy started out in Austin, but Martin and Will Taylor are based in Nashville these days, and they’re just starting out side careers writing songs for other people. That experience likely impacted Big World, the new album that Hovvdy just announced.
Hovvdy recorded Big World between Nashville and Asheville, with longtime collaborator Ben Littlejohn on board as producer. They went against their past method by showing up to the studio with instrumentals fully demo’ed but with lyrics unwritten, figuring they could access different feelings by coming up with the words on the spot. In a press release, Martin says, “The last record felt like such a generous offering: a double-album, deeply personal, you can literally hear me crying on some songs. With this one, we wanted to take on the challenge of making something more concise and to the point, and give the fans something that feels like a shorter but more exciting ride.”
You can hear that idea take shape on lead single “Try Try Try.” Musically, it’s a tight and propulsive power-pop chug. But the vocals are messier and slipperier, a heady combination of drawl and vocal effects. In the Michael Rees-directed video, Hovvdy and friends rock out in a basement. In addition to the album announcement, Hovvdy also dropped a lot of tour dates, including shows opening for Wilco and Bleachers. Below, check out the “Try Try Try” video, the Big World tracklist, and the band’s live-show schedule.
TRACKLIST:
01 “Life So Wide”
02 “Way Down”
03 “JJ”
04 ‘What I Had”
05 “Blast”
06 “Starry”
07 “Try Try Try”
08 “Junk”
09 “You Will Go Far”
10 “Give It Away
11 “Untitled”
12 “Wannabe (Radio Queen)”
TOUR DATES:
6/12 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion *
6/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ TD Pavilion at Highmark Mann *
6/16 – Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway *
6/17 – Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway *
8/17 – Nijmegen, Netherlands @ De Vereeniging ^
8/18 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso ^
8/20 – London, UK @ Eventim Apollo ^
8/21 – Crickhowell, UK @ Green Man Festival
8/22 – Glasgow, UK @ Glasgow Royal Concert Hall ^
8/25 – Antwerp, Belgium @ OLT Rivierenhof ^
8/26 – Antwerp, Belgium @ OLT Rivierenhof ^
10/10 – Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge
10/11 – Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
10/12 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall
10/14 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
10/15 – Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre
10/16 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater
10/18 – Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s
10/19 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
10/20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Sid The Cat Auditorium
10/22 – San Diego, CA @ Quartyard
10/23 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
10/25 – Ft Worth, TX @ Tulips FTW
10/26 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
11/04 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
11/05 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
11/07 – Northampton, MA @ The Iron Horse
11/09 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
11/11 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
11/12 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
11/13 – Milwaukee, WI @ Vivarium
11/14 – Detroit, MI @ El Club
11/16 – Lakewood, OH @ Mahall’s
11/18 – Charlotte, NC @ Amos’ Southend
11/19 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade – Hell
11/20 – Nashville, TN @ The Blue Room
11/21 – Nashville, TN @ The Blue Room
* with Bleachers
^ with Wilco
Big World is out 8/14 on Arts & Crafts. Pre-order it here.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source stereogum.com ’
