In August 2015, Brooklyn-based group Haybaby dropped Sleepy Kids, their debut record filled with (as they call it) "sludge pop and slop rock." The announcement of the follow-up, They Get There, comes with the new album's first single, "Total Bore." The song begins as a tangle of guitar loops and triumphantly swells into a waterfall of a hook, as vocalist Leslie Hong sighs disapprovingly of a former partner's shitty behavior before concluding generously, "you did your best."
In the three years since Haybaby released their debut, Sleepy Kids, its three members experienced significant life changes. Hong moved from back to Virginia after finding out her father was diagnosed with cancer in 2016, while the group's tour van was set on fire in a random act of arson. The new songs have grown a pricklier layer of skin as a result, but if "Total Bore" is any indication, a sense of tenderness towards themselves and the world is still in abundance.
"'Total Bore' was the first song we wrote with the use of a live loop pedal and we really focused on the building the richness of the arrangement in the studio," Hong writes in an email. "From the vocal harmonies to the harmonics on the bass, we put a lot of effort into making sure all the layers are in active conversation with each other instead of talking over each other, which is a fun contrast lyrically because it's about a friend's shitty ex-boyfriend who was manipulative and a terrible communicator."
They Get There is out June 7 via Tiny Engines.
They Get There
Tracklist:
1. Total Bore
2. Monster
3. Witch Like Me
4. Animosity
5. Home
6. My Mother Tells Me
7. Empathy
8. You Got It, Steve!
9. Get Down
10. I'll Wait
Upcoming tour dates:
4/16 - Portsmouth, NH @ Book & Bar
4/17 - Portland, ME @ Sun Tiki Studios
4/18 - Middletown, CT @ Mac650
4/20 - Albany, NY @ Chateau
5/4 - Richmond, VA @ Gallery5
5/27 - Brooklyn, NY @ Alphaville
5/28 - Richmond, VA @ TBD
5/29 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506 *with It Looks Sad
5/30 - Wilmington, NC @ Reggies 42nd Street Tavern *with It Looks Sad
5/31 - Charlotte, NC @ TBD *with It Looks Sad
6/1 - Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre Rooftop
6/4 - Mobile, AL @ The Blind Mule
6/7 - Houston, TX @ Notsuoh
6/8 - Dallas, TX @ Transit Bicycle Co.
6/9 - San Antonio, TX @ TBD
6/10 - Austin, TX @ Cheer Up Charlie's
6/11 - El Paso, TX @ Love Buzz
6/13 - Phoenix, AZ @ Lunchbox
6/14 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hi Hat
6/18 - Reno, NV @ Holland Project
6/20 - Portland, OR @ Killingsworth Dynasty
6/22 - Seattle, WA @ Victory Lounge
6/23 - Vancouver, BC @ Static Jupiter
6/29 - Missoula, MT @ Flavortown
7/1 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Diabolical Records
7/5 - Omaha, NE @ O'Leaver's
7/6 - Ames, IA @ PineHouse
7/7 - Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium
7/8 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fallout Urban Centre
7/10 - Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
7/11 - Kalamazoo, MI @ Shakespeare's Pub
7/14 - Cleveland, OH @ Mahall's Locker Room
7/18 - Northampton, MA @ Reanimate the Bay State
7/19 - Boston, MA @ O'Brien's
7/20 - Warwick, NY @ Dojo Dungeon