Hamilton Leithauser (of The Walkmen)

Hamilton Leithauser announces his debut album Black Hours - inaugurating a new chapter in an already remarkable career from The Walkmen front man - out June 3rd via Ribbon Music. The album brings Leithauser full circle and then some, from lonely midwinter piano-and-vocals sessions, to a loud, live Rock n Roll group and back again. Featuring Leithauser with a slew of talented collaborators including Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend), Paul Maroon (The Walkmen), Morgan Henderson (Fleet Foxes) and Richard Swift (The Shins/solo), the album showcases Leithauser at his most passionate, personal and free.

In its orchestrated rhythms, dynamic vocals, and generous production, Black Hours speaks from one booming voice. The instrumentation provides muscle and texture: Maroon covering a wide range of acoustic and electric guitars as well as grand piano; Batmanglij switching between guitar, harpsichord, piano, bass and harmonica; Henderson takes the marimba and upright bass, and Swift lays down impressive drums on seven tracks. Amber Coffman from the Dirty Projectors provides backing vocals on several numbers and even Hugh McIntosh of Leithauser’s first band, the Recoys, returns to the drum stool for a pair of songs.

Principal recording was done in August 2013 at Vox Studios in Los Angeles, “the oldest private studio in the world”, where Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Johnny Mercer, and countless others cut demos before appearing on air at NBC studios, just across Melrose Ave.

The lineup for Leithauser’s band includes Paul Maroon, Nick Stumpf, Kevin Barker, and more.