o usher in the new year, Haux, the alias of the Berkshires’ Woodson Black, officially announces the release date for his forthcoming sophomore album Blue Angeles, which is out on March 8th via Ultra Records. Additionally, Haux shares his new atmospheric single “Senna,” the third offering from Blue Angeles. “Senna” follows the singles “Carte Blanche” and “Claire De Lune,” the latter of which arrived alongside a serene, self-directed video.
“Senna”
LISTEN: https://lnk.to/senna
Blue Angeles
PRE-ORDER / SAVE: https://lnk.to/blueangeles-haux
Speaking about “Senna,” Woodson states, “I got totally spun out a couple years ago when I was living in Los Angeles. I felt like the life I was living in my head and the one I was living day-to-day were completely estranged. I remember thinking, “You’re not in the right place, you’re not doing the right things.” I imagined living a more grounded, sustainable life in a peaceful place and I couldn’t have been farther away from that in Los Angeles. I don’t really know what happened but when I finished ‘Senna’ a light bulb went off.. everything became clear for a second and I knew I had to get out of LA.”
The 12-tracks of Blue Angeles were produced by Thomas Bartlett (Taylor Swift, Florence + The Machine, Sufjan Stevens), Maxwell Byrne (Mallrat), and Aug E. Rose and recorded in Los Angeles, New York City, and The Berkshires. The album follows Black as he attempts to outrun the past on highways across the United States until he eventually reaches the end of the road in Los Angeles, where he explores his own addiction and spirituality until ultimately finding healing in nature.
When he returned home from Los Angeles, Black began a new chapter of his journey with his best friend at East Mountain Retreat Center – an establishment practicing radical hospitality and interfaith spiritual guidance on the Appalachian Trail. Together, over the course of a calendar year, the two finished the remaining songs for the album, built a garden and began climbing trees. Woodson shares, “I was living in denial in LA. I couldn’t see the stars at night and the movie stars were living their lives in hiding. I needed to wake up and face the music. The mountain gave me a place to reconnect with my childhood and finally put down my phone. It allowed me to make peace with myself and to give thanks for the things I have in my life.”
Woodson Black has been releasing music as Haux since his debut EP All We’ve Known in 2016. His elusivenature, dreamy falsetto, and self-directed style have created a world where listeners can breathe fresh air. Blue Angeles is the answer to Black’s question, “What happens when we stop running away?” He adds, “I needed to grow up to write this record and that isn’t something that just happens overnight. It’s taken me the better part of three years and I needed all of it to be where I am today.” Itis the long-awaited follow up to Haux’s debut album Violence in a Quiet Mind, which was lauded by GRAMMY.com, The New York Times, and Pitchforkand features the stand out songs “Calico” and “Eight” featuring Rosie Carney.