The Hackles Release 4th Single 'Angela' in Advance of New Album

The Hackles, made up of Kati Claborn (vocals/guitar/banjo/clarinet), Luke Ydstie (vocals/guitar/bass/keys) and Halli Anderson (vocals/violin), release their new single "Angela" today. With a nod to 70's era folk rock, the song features Kati's mesmerizing vocals and the band's stunning three-part harmonies that give way to a dizzying swirl of strings, organ, guitar and percussion. It is released with a b-side, the traditional murder ballad, "Edward".

"'Angela' is a Desdemona Sands cover; a project that Halli and I have with our friend and neighbor, the wonderful singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, Gabrielle Macrae," Kati explains. "It was written in a tin can in a rain storm and is a song about small moments with big consequences and being forced to reshape the stories we tell ourselves about who we are, and where we come from." "Angela" is the fourth single off their upcoming album, What a beautiful thing I have made. Pre-order album here.

The Hackles released their first single, "Damn the word," " a sweet, infectious banjo tune" (NPR) in December and it was featured on NPR's All Songs Considered early this year. Bob Boilen said, "I'm in love with the melody for this song..." See the live video here. Their second single, "James' drink" was released with a live video in January. "Birdcage," their third single, premiered last month with Glide Magazine who raved, "Lovely layers of banjo and guitar interweave with powerful vocal harmonies that seems to capture the wild frontier spirit of the fishing town the band calls home." The video for "Birdcage" premiered with The Bluegrass Situation earlier this month.

Each member of The Hackles play in other bands as well, Kati Claborn and Luke Ydstie are also in Blind Pilot and Halli Anderson is in River Whyless and Horse Feathers. In 2017, Halli moved to Astoria, OR, serendipitously just houses away from Kati and Luke. Their musical lives were already intertwined, Blind Pilot and River Whyless having toured together, but their newfound proximity led to collaboration on several fronts. Halli began recording and playing shows with the Hackles, and Kati and Luke stepped into the line-up of Horse Feathers, led by Halli's partner Justin Ringle. When 2020 hit, they found themselves at home and unable to tour with their other bands, and began meeting regularly to write, play, and record together, with Halli being involved in the writing process for the first time.

What a beautiful thing I have made is infused with a sense of intimacy and an underlying tension is palpable in several songs, the result of the world it was created in, more uncertain than ever and also smaller and more interconnected in many ways. The whole album is firmly rooted in place, created within a very small radius around where they all live, just above the Columbia River in Astoria, OR. Written and recorded at Luke and Kati's home and in the Astoria-based Rope Room studio, everyone involved lives nearby and are part of their musical community family.

The Hackles spent early 2023 on tour in Europe and the UK. Paul Kerr of Americana UK praised their performance in Scotland, "the three superb musicians and singers played a set which was at times almost hypnotic. The trio are so obviously in tune with each other that each song was a delight making this a gig to savour." They have several Pacific Northwest shows scheduled for the Spring and Summer, including an album release show in Portland on April 14th at Polaris Hall, tix here.

Listen to the new single here: