Brett Dennen w/ The Heavy Hours

Hello all,

I hope I find you well, and that you are getting out there doing all the things you love to do again. My new album See the World is here and I’m really happy to share it. I think it speaks to what we’ve all been through over the last year and a half.

The songs began during a time when I was reevaluating my life. I’ve been fortunate to do this for more than fifteen years, but I have doubts about myself sometimes. I started writing these songs while I was taking stock of my life. Where am I? What do I believe in? Where do I want to be?

The album begins with the message of experiencing life for yourself. Having your own journey. From there I sing about things I value. Both sentimental things and bigger things worth protecting, like human rights and the environment. The middle of the album goes into reflection. I sing about finding myself in places I don’t belong, surrounded by people I don’t connect with. I sing about how I’ve drifted away from myself or drifted away from who I once thought I’d become. There’s a part in there where I turn my attention to the beauty of love that I’m blessed with and the beauty of the natural world in which I draw so much inspiration from.

Just before the album ends, I sing about how much I don’t like peoples’ attitude of entitlement. It’s a symptom of ignorance and separation, which I think comes from a lack of experience. Too many people have the wrong idea thinking that they deserve more than others just because they identify with a certain group. The more we experience life with an open heart, the more we can open our minds and have empathy for others. At the end of the album I sing about change that needs to take place because at this point I can’t keep doing things the same way.

I’ve grown older and I’m a father now. I have to put more intention into my work. For so long I’ve followed my dream to write songs and sing them but I’ve gotten used to being at home with my family. Touring is a lot harder now. Is it worth leaving my son at home so I can continue my dream of being a musician? Is it worth the guilt I feel around that? On the contrary, is it worth not taking advantage of this marvelous life I’m so fortunate to have? Even though touring takes me away from my family, I can remember that I’m showing him an example of someone working hard and pursuing something that they believe in. I can take pride in that.

I’m here to make music to help you feel and be a part of your life’s soundtrack. I have to put out a positive message and speak for the things I believe in and value most. I want to work to bring people together and help us realize that we are all connected. I want to be an advocate for our natural places. Our planet is the first thing that connects us all. We share oceans, climate change, and this strange and challenging experience of shutting the world down.

Some of you have been with me since the beginning. If you’ve been forced to reevaluate your life during the pandemic, please know that I’ve been with you doing the same thing. See the World is my contribution to help quiet the noise and stay focused because I think we all can be more present. Present with our choices, our thoughts and our actions.

Thank you for reading and thank you for listening.

Brett.

The Heavy Hours

Having made an acclaimed debut in the midst of worldwide crisis, The Heavy Hours now return with WILDFIRE, a five-song collection that further exemplifies their distinctive strain of warm-hearted, open-armed alternative rock. Working with renowned producer Simone Felice (The Lumineers, Matt Maeson, The Avett Brothers), the Cincinnati, OH-based band infuse well-crafted powerful songs like "Desperate Days" and "Wildfire" with uncommon honesty and a radiant energy that converts subtle strokes into an altogether different kind of volume. WILDFIRE packs an emotional punch from the very first chord, fusing larger-than-life melodies and epic choruses with soulful, sophisticated songcraft and remarkably universal lyrical spirit.

"From the moment that we finished tracking 'Wildfire, we all had such a connection to it," says lead singer Michael Marcagi. "I remember being in the studio listening back to it for the first time and thinking, if someone were to ask me, 'What do you guys sound like?,' I would play them this song."

The musicians at the heart of The Heavy Hours have been united for close to a decade, first coming together in high school over a mutual love of diverse sounds spanning contemplative folk to wildly experimental post-rock. In 2018, they rechristened themselves as The Heavy Hours -- inspired from a line in William Butler Yeats' Autobiographies -- and began fusing their questing spirit and relentless work ethic with an emphasis on more traditional songwriting and production.