Swedish Rockers The Hawkins are releasing a “conceptual mini-album” with Aftermath, a collection in which each track tells a story “connected to the destructive aftermath of past relationships”. The 6 track mini-album will be released on The Sign Records on October 15 in LP, CD, and digital formats.
Final single from the mini-album “Jim & Kate” is out now. As you might suspect given the concept of the album, this relationship song does have some “downhearted” lyrics, but the sound is melodic and upbeat.
The Hawkins’ lead vocalist and guitarist Johannes Carlsson comments on the single:
“‘Jim & Kate’ takes place in the aftermath of a shit hitting the fan. Over and over again. You’re once again standing in the rubble, trying to make sense of what just happened and grasping for pieces to supposedly glue together. Shock and denial mixed with hastily trying to fix things. The intro is kind of like that to play as well. It’s a bit like being half awake and thinking you’re late to work.”
Hawkins signed a record deal with The Sign in 2019 and released their second full-length album Silence is a Bomb in the middle of the 2020 pandemic. Since they weren’t able to play shows, they decided to record a select number of songs from the album as a live show in the middle of the woods, with a brewery and a barn. The three recording sessions also resulted in the 2021 live album Live in the Woods.
The band have had some serious bumps in the road even before the pandemic, but they add:
Despite the dark moments and despite the dark themes surrounding the new mini-album, The Hawkins is not giving up. The relationship grows stronger through the constant aftermath of all the ups and downs. You just gotta balance the value of the ever-flowing variables.
