Hardworker

Achingly beautiful, the new album Go Alone from Hardworker bridges folk and rock music with apparent ease in its execution. Seamlessly blending acoustic instruments like banjo with modern synths and brash guitar riffs, the songs rock in a rural, backwoods manner. And the lead vocals deliver evocative phrasing on these 11 tracks.

The Weavers-sounding “Lazarus” comments on the nature of death as well as the nature of living, while the driving percussion & guitar lead the harmonies to a fever-pitch. Distant whale song sets the atmosphere for “Alcatraz”, a moody portrayal of the isolation and despair. My favorite track is “Dothan”, a country-flavored excursion into the concepts of change and home. Also of note is the acoustic “As Far”, interestingly recorded to bring the vocals from the far distance to the forefront progressively. Very professional, complex production and mixing round out this debut release.

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Hardworker is a five-piece rock band from Durham, North Carolina. The band took its present shape in 2015 when Sus Long and Mike Conner traded in their acoustic folk duo for something a bit louder. Hence the addition of guitarist Danny Nowell and vocalist Alex Treyz.

Songwriter Long grew up in a house steeped in the American songbook and a Bay-area high-school steeped in the Hives. While writing sad songs full of jokes and party songs about the patriarchy, she drew on influences as diverse as Billie Holiday to Jason Isbell. In addition, the sound comes together somewhere between Mike’s dense grooves, Danny’s love of overdrive, and Alex’s harmonic daredevilry.

Hardworker’s first EP, The Awful Rowing, contains a collection of five songs written by Long. The song “Darkroom Lullaby” received an honorable mention in American Songwriter’s May/June 2015 Lyric Contest.

The band’s debut LP Go Alone was produced by Alex Bingham, engineered by Mitch Easter and released in summer 2017.

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