photo credit Sayer Mansfield
Blue Angeles
https://lnk.to/blueangeles-haux
“exists near the intersection of Bon Iver and quiet storm R&B” – The New York Times
“a vaporous swirl of voice and emotions” – Pitchfork
“stark and haunting beauty” – KCRW
“impeccable dream-folk” – Alternative Press
Blue Angeles, the sophomore full-length album from Haux, the alias of the Berkshires’ Woodson Black, is out today via Ultra Records. The 12-track album includes the previously released singles “Waves,” “Senna,” “Claire De Lune” and “Carte Blanche,” along with the album’s focus track “Hazel.” Blue Angeles was produced by Thomas Bartlett (Taylor Swift, Florence + The Machine, Sufjan Stevens), Maxwell Byrne (Mallrat), and Aug E. Rose and recorded in Los Angeles, New York City, and The Berkshires.
Speaking about Blue Angeles, Black shares,“This album is about beginning… It’s saying you gotta start somewhere and here’s as good a place as any. I think sometimes in this Hollywood life we live now, in our pursuit of looking good all the time we forget what it means to actually feel good. We distract ourselves with social media, shopping, worrying about the world, to-do lists–you name it, I’ve done it. This album documents the distraction, the slow process of waking up to my life and finally remembering how to feel like myself again. ‘Blue Angeles’ is a reminder to all that everyday is a beautiful place to begin.”
Blue Angeles follows Black as he attempts to outrun the past on highways across the United States until he eventually reaches the end of the road in Los Angeles, where he explores his own addiction and spirituality until ultimately finding healing in nature. When he returned home from Los Angeles, Black began a new chapter of his journey with his best friend at East Mountain Retreat Center – an establishment practicing radical hospitality and interfaith spiritual guidance on the Appalachian Trail. Together, over the course of a calendar year, the two finished the remaining songs for the album, built a garden and began climbing trees. Woodson shares, “I was living in denial in LA. I couldn’t see the stars at night and the movie stars were living their lives in hiding. I needed to wake up and face the music. The mountain gave me a place to reconnect with my childhood and finally put down my phone. It allowed me to make peace with myself and to give thanks for the things I have in my life.”
Woodson Black has been releasing music as Haux since his debut EP All We’ve Known in 2016. His elusive nature, dreamy falsetto, and self-directed style have created a world where listeners can breathe fresh air. Blue Angeles is the answer to Black’s question, “What happens when we stop running away?” He adds, “I needed to grow up to write this record and that isn’t something that just happens overnight. It’s taken me the better part of three years and I needed all of it to be where I am today.” It is the long-awaited follow up to Haux’s debut album Violence in a Quiet Mind, which was lauded by GRAMMY.com, The New York Times, and Pitchfork and features the stand out songs “Calico” and “Eight” featuring Rosie Carney.
Blue Angeles
Haux
March 8th, 2024
Ultra Records
1. Senna
2. Carte Blanche
3. Cover Girl
4. Bella Blue
5. The Vitality of Life by Crow
6. Sleeping In Cars
7. Blood Moon
8. Waves
9. Kennedy Park
10. Claire De Lune
11. Cherry Hill with Crow
12. Hazel
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