Hrishikesh Hirway Knows “Things Change, Even Now”
Hrishikesh Hirway today unveils a new song, “Things Change, Even Now,” via Keeled Scales. The track is the latest release from Hirway’s upcoming album, In the Last Hour of Light, out April 24 via Keeled Scales— pre-order/pre-save here. The album is his first full-length release under his own name, marking his return to making records after more than a decade focused on audio storytelling through his acclaimed podcast Song Exploder.
“Things Change Even Now” is a song about Hirway’s father, who was hospitalized after an accident a few years ago. He’d suffered a head injury and was unable to speak. Hrishi spent hours in the hospital room with him, waiting for him to recover. He’d lost his mother a couple years earlier, and he spent the long days reflecting on his complicated relationship with his father. When his father finally recovered enough to come back home, he said, “I can’t believe how quickly things can change.”
The song was co-written with Laetitia Tamko, aka Vagabon, who helped Hirway find a sense of warmth in acceptance, holding grief and grace in delicate balance.
“When [producer] Phil Weinrobe told me that we were going to record this album live, including the vocals with everyone in the same room, without overdubs or the chance go to back and edit or re-do any of the music, I was terrified. But then, I realized it was probably the most appropriate way to record a song like this. The whole album, but especially this one, is about confronting and accepting how little control I have over so many fundamental aspects of my life. You can only try your best. And I feel like that really came through in the recording.”
“Things Change, Even Now” follows the previously released singles “Rollercoaster” and “Stray Dogs,” featuring Iron & Wine. Our Culture wrote, “‘Rollercoaster’ [is] a tender new offering,” while Clash hailed “Stray Dogs” as “a beautiful acoustic hymnal, fueled by patience and grace.”
Hirway has also confirmed that Allison Russell will join him for the Nashville date of his upcoming tour, A Concert and Conversation with Hrishikesh Hirway and Special Guests. Previously announced guests include Adam Scott in New York, Jason Mantzoukas in Los Angeles, Samin Nosrat in San Francisco, Ken Jennings in Seattle, Josh Malina in Chicago, Min Jin Lee in Boston, and Austin Kleon in Austin, Texas. The tour will consist of a moderated talk with these noted guests about the album and Hirway’s life and creative process—in the spirit of his work on Song Exploder—followed by a live performance. See below for full tour routing and visit hrishikesh.co for more information.
In the Last Hour of Light is a deeply personal memoir about letting go; of people, of fading memories, of the desire to stop time. Written in the wake of Hirway’s mother’s death and amidst his father’s hospitalization, the album’s eleven tracks reflect on loss, long shared and fleeting love, and the everyday moments that shape us. Arrangements balance between quiet intimacy and spacious, Americana-tinted soundscapes meant to embrace the imperfection and unexpected qualities of being alive.
The theme of letting go extended to Hirway’s own historically tight sense of creative control, and he turned to Grammy-nominated producer Phil Weinrobe (Big Thief, Adrianne Lenker), who recorded the album live at his Brooklyn studio, Sugar Mountain. Weinrobe arranged all the players close enough so they could all hear Hirway’s vocals as they recorded, playing without headphones or click track.
After years as the sole writer, producer and performer behind The One AM Radio, Hirway approached this entire record with collaboration in mind. Collaboration was his way out of the years-long writer’s block that had led him to create the Song Exploder podcast. He co-wrote with Kevin Morby, Vagabon, and others, including Fenne Lily, Ken Pomeroy, and Uwade, who are also featured guest vocalists on the album. The album features a world-class band including Josh Crumbly on bass, Oliver Hill on piano, Sean Mullins on drums, Ken Pomeroy on acoustic guitar, El Kempner (of Palehound) on electric guitar, Billy Crockett on resonator guitar, and Cole Kamen-Green on trumpet and EVI, along with Melina Duterte (of Jay Som), Dustin O’Halloran, Mike Haldeman, Shahzad Ismaily, Jon Natchez (of The War on Drugs), Daniel Hart, Zosha Warpeha and more.
That band appears throughout the album, along with other performers that include Melina Duterte (of Jay Som), Dustin O’Halloran, Mike Haldeman, Shahzad Ismaily, Jon Natchez (of The War on Drugs), Daniel Hart, and Zosha Warpeha.
It’s a glimpse into the team of world-class musicians and writers he assembled for the project, which also includes contributions from Jenny Owen Youngs, TOMI, John Mark Nelson, and more.
Photo by Elisha Christian