Are We Good Hayden

• 1 East Coast 04:53
• 2 We Danced 03:48
• 3 On A Beach 04:05
• 4 Terry Cloth Blue (Every Single Thing) 03:03
• 5 Nothing Wrong 04:03
• 6 Are We Good 04:31
• 7 Window Washer Blues 02:42
• 8 Miss Fort Erie 04:29
• 9 It's Just Me 02:46
• 10 Lay This In My Mind 03:16
• 11 Can't Happen Now 05:15
• Total Runtime 42:51

Info for Are We Good

Hayden, the long-heralded king of Canadian slacker folk, will release his ninth studio album, Are We Good, a crowning achievement in his well deep catalogue of heartfelt storytelling – and his much-anticipated first new album since 2015’s Hey Love.

Six years in the making with sixty plus songs in the running, Hayden's ninth record Are We Good is a crowning achievement in the born storyteller's loaded canon. The album posits Hayden, grizzled and peppered, by the pandemic or parenting, in an attic studio stand-off with writer's block. Written, produced, and mixed predominantly at Skyscraper National Park, the studio at the top of his Toronto home, a perfect combination of complex family life – Hayden and his wife are parents to a child with developmental disabilities – and the grinding halt of creative inertia forced Hayden further out of his comfort zone than ever before, taking the album off its ledge of unachievable perfection. Hayden reached out to Matt Berninger of The National, a friend and creative catalyst with whom he has traded ideas for years. The collaboration led to three songs on Are We Good, including the lyrics to answer Hayden's mesmerizing chorus on the title track. Longtime friend Feist contributes stunning vocals to "On A Beach," arguably the most infectious, and inarguably the sunniest song in Hayden's reliably downcast oeuvre. Aaron Dessner of The National contributes co-production on two tracks, including the breathtaking "We Danced," an ode to Leonard Cohen worthy of his gigantic everlasting presence within and without Hayden's music. By breaking his confines, Hayden – who has defined his perennial 30-year career with a staunchly DIY approach – made an enchanting album richly inspired by relationships, from first crushes to family, and musical collaborators in between. So we are good.

Hayden

Hayden Desser
Hayden (Paul Hayden Desser). Singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist, b Thornhill, ON, 12 Feb 1971; BAA Radio and Television Arts (Ryerson) 1993. Paul Hayden Desser performs under the stage name Hayden. Initially interested in radio and filmmaking, Hayden turned to music after his song "Take" was selected for the album New Music Search, compiled by Toronto radio station CFNY in 1993. Hayden played guitar on the track and enlisted two friends to sing vocals. Hayden continued to recruit vocalists until 1995 when he began to showcase his grainy baritone.

Hayden's music has been described as "folk-rock." While his early tracks featured poignant vocals accompanied by solo acoustic guitar, his later work has incorporated electric instrumentation and demonstrates a more refined sound. He has attributed his distinctive vocal style to the influence of Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, and Lou Barlow.

Hayden's debut album Everything I Long For (1995, Hardwood Records) was recorded on a four-track at his parents' house in 1994 and was released on his own label, Hardwood Records. Featuring haunting vocals, narrative lyrics, and sparse instrumentation, the album remained at the top of the Toronto indie charts for more than a year, and earned Hayden recognition from Spin Magazine as one of 1997's 40 most vital artists in music. Everything I Long For attracted the attention of a number of major North American labels, and in 1995 Hayden signed with Outpost Recordings. Despite receiving critical acclaim and garnering a 1999 Juno Award nomination for best alternative album, his first major-label release, The Closer I Get (1998, Outpost Recordings), was not a commercial success. Following an eight-month album tour, an overwhelmed and disillusioned Hayden took a brief hiatus from the music industry. He built a studio in his Toronto home where he produced music in isolation and slowly regained his passion for writing and recording.

Hayden re-emerged quietly in 2001 with the releasing of Skyscraper National Park (Hardwood Records), an emotionally lighter album with fuller instrumentation. Shortly after its release Hayden embarked on a small-venue tour, during which he recorded Live at Convocation Hall (2002, Hardwood Records).

This album contains no booklet.