THE HEAVY HOURS CRAFT CONNECTIVITY AND COMFORT ON SUBLIME SINGLE “YOU SAY MY NAME,” THEIR FIRST MUSIC SINCE FEBRUARY

Sometimes, what listeners need more than anything is a song not of supreme love or abject vengeance or unabashed loss of control, but rather something that’s a bit more simple — a song just about the connections everyone makes in life. It’s a topic that has surprisingly few musical examples to its name, but is nevertheless a theme worth exploring. Thankfully, with The Heavy Hours’ latest release, “You Say My Name,” listeners can now hear the perfect epitome of how it feels to bond with someone in any way.

The Heavy Hours are an alt-rock quartet with a bevy of support behind them — not just from their ardent fanbase, but also the artists they’ve supported on tour and with whom they’ve worked, such as Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats, Fitz and the Tantrums, Wilderado and so many more. “You Say My Name” in particular sees The Heavy Hours teaming up with alt-rock royalty Vance Joy, resulting in a song that’s both lilting yet very definite in its intent. This track is the band’s first piece of new music since the release of their studio album, Gardens, in February — and a confluence of events helped make the song come alive, as the band states:

“This song was the culmination of the time we spent making this album in Woodstock, NY. It was the very last song we recorded, and was created with songwriting legend Vance Joy. ‘You Say My Name’ is about the connections you have with the people closest to you. Connections you can feel but can’t quite explain.”

“You Say My Name” is a standard acoustic-guitar-and-strings song with minimal yet prominent percussion, showcasing singer Michael Marcagi’s haunting vocals, especially on the chorus: “There’s nothing that you need to explain / It’s always in the way that you say my name / You don’t need to explain / It’s always in the way that you say my name / You say my name.” It’s a song all about connections — how they form, how one maintains them and how they evolve. To make its point clearer, the music video only features Marcagi as he goes through a series of scenes in a suburban neighborhood, within a field of grass and by a lakeside, singing to himself as he yearns for attachment. It’s a fitting visual that matches the tone of the song perfectly, yet it never comes across as dire or hopeless. Rather, “You Say My Name” is a great example of a band at its best — and how, in the end, all people really need is a way to connect.

The Heavy Hours are currently on tour in North America through October 14, with additional dates on December 17 in Cincinnati and on The Rock Boat between January 23 through January 28. Stay tuned for more updates on new music as it becomes available. For now, you can listen to, and watch the music video for, “You Say My Name” below!