Hovvdy, have shared “Make Ya Proud”, the final advanced single off their forthcoming self-titled double album, Hovvdy, available on April 26th on Arts & Crafts and DSPs. “This is one of a few songs on the record I wrote for my grandpa Pete, my father’s father. He passed away last summer and was in many ways the backbone of that side of my family. I wrote ‘Make Ya Proud’ during that time in Mississippi, between trips to the coast to visit him in the hospital,” Martin explains. “It’s really hard to describe; but the songs are a celebration of him and how he inspired me.”

Hovvdy is a statement piece that finds the band at the height of their powers, broadening the scope of their songwriting and adding new wrinkles to their sound, creating something wholly unique and exhilarating. The album is a true co-production between the band, Andrew Sarlo (Bon Iver, Big Thief), and Bennett Littlejohn (bassist, multi-instrumentalist).

“It’s a full circle, because lots of my songs, in adulthood, deal with looking back and seeing your parents as just individuals struggling through life – and trying to have more empathy or understanding. And now Will is diving in from the opposite side as a new parent, grappling with all that,” says Charlie.

“On this album, we tried to really step back and look at: How can we convey our songwriting in a new way?” says Will. “It challenged the songs we brought, and it challenged me to be more vulnerable.”

“We’re trying to stretch out and create a tapestry of everything we can do,” says Charlie.

An initial meetup at a log cabin in Black Mountain, North Carolina, revamped Hovvdy’s past lo-fi techniques to playfully catch up with their current craft. Will was surrounded with iPhones and field recorders to capture the southern spin of “Portrait.” Another AirDrop experiment, the vocals of “Angel” find Charlie walking along a babbling creek. A car alarm goes off, just in key, balancing atmospheric clatter and ASMR-level closeness. These intimate moments shift seamlessly into the huge, celebratory statements of character-driven singles like “Jean” and “Forever,” just buzzing in the storytellers’ energy.

Deepening the album’s zoom-in on the years since leaving their home state, further sessions landed at family homes near Dallas. With Will now based in Nashville, and Charlie in St. Louis, Texas remains a meeting point. The felted keys of an upright piano borrowed from Charlie’s mom, a piano teacher herself, anchor throughout. Bennett’s Wurlitzer 200A joins the Auto-Tune and electronic flourishes stamped on past Hovvdy co-productions with Sarlo, including True Love (2021) and billboard for my feelings (2022).

Tempos wander as the duo explores time – earned, lost, and given to others. While the band’s prior LP, True Love, splashed in new marriages and parenthood, the self-titled album looks at long-term ties twisted and strengthened, sometimes amidst grief and addiction. Charlie narrates sibling support in “Bubba,” where a brother promises, “I’ll get a goddamn grip, hold onto it for a while. The record also recounts a visit to Mississippi, where Charlie stayed with family during the loss of his grandfather. “‘Make Ya Proud,’ I wrote while he was in the hospital, and ‘Song for Pete,’ I wrote that the day he passed,” says Charlie.

Father to a three-year-old, Will holds a special interest in bottling time. He strives to savor moments over the giddy breakbeat of “Every Exchange,” while twangy closer “A Little” measures out regrets over love gone ignored. “That’s what makes being a parent so difficult – it immediately exposes all the things you haven’t dialed in about yourself,” says Will. “Looking at the record, it’s interesting that we both have these unique perspectives on the challenges that come with family.”

Hovvdy 2024 Tour Dates

5/21/2024 – Glasgow, UK @ King Tut’s
5/22/2024 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
5/23/2024 – Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute
5/24/2024 – London, UK @ Lafayette
5/25/2024 – Bristol, UK @ Dot to Dot Festival
5/26/2024 – Nottingham, UK @ Dot to Dot Festival
5/28/2024 – Brighton, UK @ Green Door Store
5/29/2024 – Paris, France @ Pop Up du Label
5/30/2024 – Utrecht, Netherlands @ Ekko
5/31/2024 – Hamburg, Germany @ Nochtwache
6/01/2024 – Berlin, Germany @ Prachtwerk

Pre-order HOVVDY HERE