The Hackles, made up of Kati Claborn (vocals/guitar/banjo/clarinet), Luke Ydstie (vocals/guitar/bass/keys) and Halli Anderson (vocals/violin), have released their new single “Angela”. With a nod to 70’s era Folk Rock, the song is accompanied by a b-side, the traditional murder ballad, “Edward”. “Angela” is the fourth single off their upcoming album, What a beautiful thing I have made.
Kati Claborn explains:
’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. 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.
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, Oregon, just houses away from Kati and Luke.
Their musical lives were already intertwined, but their newfound proximity led to collaboration on several fronts. 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 an “underlying tension”, the result of the pandemic world it was created in. The whole album, however, is firmly rooted in place, created within a very small radius around where they all live, just above the Columbia River in Astoria.
The Hackles spent early 2023 on tour in Europe and the UK. They have several Pacific Northwest shows scheduled for the Spring and Summer, including an album release show in Portland on April 14th, 2023 at Polaris Hall.
