Channelling both folk and electronica, Hayden Calnin’s latest single Warm With You is something truly special.
Haunting vocals tell the tale of an evolving relationship, from romantic beginnings through to the fluctuating moments where it can feel like you’re watching things from the outside.
“It’s the one relationship song on the EP,” explains Melbourne’s Hayden.
“You’re going in circles together with this other person. You’re happy. Then, you’re not. You’re in the cycle of figuring out whether or not it will work. Maybe you want to let go, run away, start a farm, and live off the land together. It’s a bit romantic, but it all doesn’t turn out like you hoped.”
Opening the song with light drums and guitar, Hayden’s soothing vocals recount long days and coming home.
“Bike stacked, coats racked in the hallway
Night out, I’m wrecked it’s been a long day.
Tucked in, green wind put my head down.
Where are you? Where ya been? I need you around.”
Hayden proves himself a clever lyricist, painting clear pictures through short lines. Conjuring an image of deep romance, he narrates the beauty of fleeting everyday moments while also dropping a clever bread crumb along the lyrical path.
“Caffeine, do you need that crossword clue?
Daydream of a life you’d choose”
Note the mention of upcoming EP A Life You Would Choose (due for release in September) within the verse.
The single’s instrumentals follow a consistently soft rhythm throughout until reaching a moment of silence before the final verse; seemingly symbolic of a change in the relationship.
The guitar and drums kick back in heavier than before, coinciding with Hayden’s strengthened vocals as he sings of his dashed hopes.
“So we build a house, make it a home
And it grows, yeah it grows and it shows.
We build a home away from it all,
At least that’s what I’d hoped for.
And now I’m at your front door,
And this seems unfamiliar.
How’d I never get warm with you?
I just wanted warmth with you.”
It’s not hard to imagine the impact this moment would have when played live. The quiet moment before the instrumentals return, followed by Hayden’s soaring vocals, would be incredibly emotive.
Warm With You is a follow up to his single Fuck Collingwood – which sings of longing for change after staying put in a place for too long, a polar opposite message to the new release which searches for comfort and stability.
Hayden Calnin’s Warm With You is a carefully curated track featuring poetic writing and soaring vocals which has us eagerly awaiting his EP release.
