Hawthorne Heights Release Latest Album and New Version of Ohio Is For Lovers

Photo Credit: Courtney Kiara

Hawthorne Heights is back with their latest album, The Rain Just Follows Me. JT Woodruff (Vocals, Guitar), Mark McMillon (Guitar, Backing Vocals), Matt Ridenour (Bass, Backing Vocals), and Chris Popadak (Drums) worked with Grammy winning producer Cameron Webb (Alkaline Trio, NOFX, Megadeth) on the album.

The Dayton, Ohio post hardcore band didn’t waste much time getting back into the studio after their last album Lost Frequencies which was released in 2019. “The most unbelievable part of this story is that this entire album was written and recorded BEFORE the pandemic,” singer JT Woodruff shares. “All of this darkness and turmoil is basically a summation of the coldest and loneliest nights I’ve tried to reconcile for the past 17 years.”

Lost Frequencies was a much lighter album than one would expect from Hawthorne Heights. It saw the band delve more into more acoustic and electronic sounds. The Rain Just Follows Me thoughis classic Hawthorne Heights. Heavy guitars, screamo vocals and emo lyrics. What could be more emo than a title like The Rain Just Follows Me?

The album comes right out the gate with guitars blazing for “Constant Dread” which features Brendan Murphy from the Canadian metalcore band Counterparts. Woodruff says “when writing, I tend to dig through memories, both good and bad. In, Constant Dread, I was searching through one of my favorite tour memories. Warped Tour 2017, in the tour bus village. One of our favorite hardcore bands, Counterparts, was hosting karaoke. As I was standing there, Brendan hit play on Niki FM, and then threw me the microphone, and as I was singing my own song to a jury of my peers, I realized that I need to loosen up. This should be fun, not agony. When I thought about that moment, while laying bed in the throes of the terror-filled gaze of the moonlight, I knew we needed to put Brendan in this song. And I’m so glad he said yes, because absolutely crushes it.“

Songs on The Rain Just Follows Me display the band’s harder side. Like a lot of post hardcore bands, Hawthorne Heights plays with song dynamics. Most songs start with heavily distorted guitars before taking a break for clean Woodruff vocals on the verses. Choruses turn aggressive with soaring vocals by Woodruff and complementing screamo vocals by McMillon. The two vocalists create a tension that resolve when the songs transition back to the verses.

“We want to create the best songs that are accurate depictions of our lives and connect to other people through our songs,” Woodruff says. “I hope this record helps people understand that others out there are thinking like them – and thinking about them. Everyone gets poured on in life; we just want to provide an umbrella.”

A popular trend these days are collaborations with other artists. It is hard to find an album without “(feat. )” showing up. This album is no different. Besides the aforementioned Brendan Murphy on “Constant Dread”, Anthony Raneri from Bayside appears on “Spray Paint It Black” while Yellowcard’s William Ryan Key contributes to “Seafoam”.

In January 2020 just before the pandemic hit, I was able to catch the band on their Silence in Black and White 15^th Anniversary tour. They quickly became one of my favorite bands. One of the songs on the album is the emo classic “Ohio is for Lovers”. In addition to the their new album, Hawthorne Heights has also separately released a new version of the song which features rising artist Siiickbrain.

Woodruff shares “It’s a truly treasured experience when you get to step into someone else’s world, as they step into yours. When approached by Siiickbrain, I was flattered that a younger generation of artists had even heard of us, and to work together was divine madness. I’ve never thought of my music as having a dark side, so it’s super wild to see and hear it like this”

“This collaboration means so much to me for so many reasons. A few years ago I was listening and singing ‘Ohio Is For Lovers’ in the car and discovered for the first time that I could scream,” Siiickbrain shares. “Ever since then, Hawthorne Heights has been a huge part of the music that I create and a tremendous influence to me. The concept of the music video was heavily influenced by my love for horror films. I wanted to portray a dark, distorted take on the original song, and how sometimes you feel like you can’t live without someone.”

It can be risky re-recording a classic, but Hawthorne Heights pulls it off with “Ohio Is For Lovers”. Siiickbrain’s indie flavored vocals add a new dimension and feel to the verses while Woodruff remains true to the original in the choruses. I actually prefer the new version over the previous one.

Hawthorne Heights fans should appreciate The Rain Just Follows Me. It is everything that one would expect from the band. The album is now available at https://smarturl.it/hawthorneheightsoh and will also be released in stores with limited edition vinyl variants on October 22, 2021.

The Rain Just Follows Me Track List