Haux by Sayer Mansfield
"Waves" LISTEN: https://lnk.to/haux-waves
Blue Angeles PRE-ORDER / SAVE: https://lnk.to/blueangeles-haux
What the press is saying about Haux:
"exists near the intersection of Bon Iver and quiet storm R&B" The New York Times
"a vaporous swirl of voice and emotions" Pitchfork
"stark and haunting beauty" KCRW
"impeccable dream-folk" Alternative Press (February 9, 2024) – Haux, the alias of the Berkshires' Woodson Black, shares his new single "Waves," the final offering ahead of the release of his forthcoming sophomore album Blue Angeles, out on March 8th via Ultra Records. "Waves" follows the previously released single "Senna," along with "Claire De Lune" and "Carte Blanche," both of which arrived with self-directed videos from Black.
Speaking about "Waves," Black shares, “Waves is a song about the thoughts we spend all day ignoring and distracting ourselves from; like the ones that come flooding in when we’re trying to fall asleep. They almost feel like a movie scene stuck on repeat; replaying the same lines over and over and over again. Trying to tell us something we don’t want to hear.
A few years ago I went through a break-up and felt like I’d lost everything. My nights became this endless memory loop. I tried to escape it by scrolling on my phone or watching movies to fall asleep but it was impossible. It was like Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. I wanted to forget everything and get as far away from New England as possible.
I wrote Waves and pretty much hit the road. I drove from Massachusetts to California in a few weeks, found an apartment in LA and spent a year suffering in the sun, pretending I’d erased all my memories. Obviously that didn’t work but it did give me enough time to realize how important those memories actually are.” The 12-tracks of Blue Angeles were produced by Thomas Bartlett (Taylor Swift, Florence + The Machine, Sufjan Stevens), Maxwell Byrne (Mallrat), and Aug E. Rose and recorded in Los Angeles, New York City, and The Berkshires. The album follows Black as he attempts to outrun the past on highways across the United States until he eventually reaches the end of the road in Los Angeles, where he explores his own addiction and spirituality until ultimately finding healing in nature.
When he returned home from Los Angeles, Black began a new chapter of his journey with his best friend at East Mountain Retreat Center – an establishment practicing radical hospitality and interfaith spiritual guidance on the Appalachian Trail. Together, over the course of a calendar year, the two finished the remaining songs for the album, built a garden and began climbing trees. Woodson shares, “I was living in denial in LA. I couldn’t see the stars at night and the movie stars were living their lives in hiding. I needed to wake up and face the music. The mountain gave me a place to reconnect with my childhood and finally put down my phone. It allowed me to make peace with myself and to give thanks for the things I have in my life.”
Woodson Black has been releasing music as Haux since his debut EP All We've Known in 2016. His elusive nature, dreamy falsetto, and self-directed style have created a world where listeners can breathe fresh air. Blue Angeles is the answer to Black's question, "What happens when we stop running away?" He adds, “I needed to grow up to write this record and that isn’t something that just happens overnight. It’s taken me the better part of three years and I needed all of it to be where I am today.” It is the long-awaited follow up to Haux's debut album Violence in a Quiet Mind, which was lauded by GRAMMY.com, The New York Times, and Pitchfork and features the stand out songs "Calico" and "Eight" featuring Rosie Carney.
Check out "Waves" and pre-order / save Blue Angeles above and stay tuned for more from Haux coming soon. | 
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