Hovvdy - "Town"

Hovvdy are back with their second single of the year, "Town."

Last year, Hovvdy released the very good album True Love. I named it one of the best of 2021. This year, they shared a song that was recorded during the same sessions, but failed to make the album. Today, they're back with a new one that was written and recorded even more recently. Stuffed with warm guitar tones and gentle vocals, Hovvdy continue down the road of well lived-in indie rock. Their songs continue to feel broken-in and slightly relaxed, but they're never boring. Pleasing vocals also add to the comfort the band is able to conjure through their music and "Town" is just another great example of their growing output, even if the song is a bit of a downer about missing friends and hoping they're missing you as well. This one buzzes along before bubbling over towards the end as it starts to burst with melody that slightly overwhelms the pace and trajectory of the song. Still, the band doesn't lose control here and instead moves forward with the excitement and lets their cup runneth over. "Writing and recording 'Town' helped me break out of a relatively dark place," Charlie Martin said in a statement. "There was catharsis in almost every layer — I remember crying recording the mellotron flutes. I'm not sure why, but with 'Town' I wanted the instrumental to do the heavy lifting, leaning less on storytelling. In that way, the song's meaning isn't terribly specific, but for me it's about missing your friends and hoping they miss you." The music sure does do the heavy lifting on this one and even without a specific meaning, it's easy to get swept up in the track's momentum and relish in the feeling that someone out there might be thinking about you too.

"Town" is out now!