Hamilton Leithauser Tickets at The Button Factory

Hamilton Leithauser, the hard-hitting, Carlyle-crooning frontman of The Walkmen, has worked the last eight years in the heart of Bedford Stuyvesant, writing and recording his new breakthrough solo record, 'This Side of the Island'. Known for his evocative lyricism, quick wit, and distinctive voice, Leithauser has been a  significant force in rock 'n' roll since the early 2000s NYC scene, transitioning  smoothly from his band's successes to a flourishing solo career. This Side of the  Island boldly turns away from the folk-rockvibes of his two previous records I Had  a Dream That You Were Mine and The Loves of Your Life; and introduces a  groovier, bass-heavy, modern sound—a sound undoubtedly influenced by several  decades of music: Sly Stone’s There’s a Riot Goin’ On, Talking Heads’ Fear of  Music, SZA’s SOS, Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain, Randy Newman’s Trouble in Paradise, Prince’s Parade, Panda Bear’s Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper, and Neil Young’s On the Beach (to name a few).  

Hamilton loves working on his own schedule at his home studio, The Struggle Hut, but after eight years of playing myriad instruments, a visit to his old friend Aaron Dessner's upstate Long Pond Studio in the Spring of 2024 is what finally brought  the album home. (Leithauser and Dessner originally met when the National opened  for the Walkmen in 2001). Dessner, renowned for his work with The National,  Taylor Swift, and Gracie Abrams (among many others), introduced an enormous modern sound, and played many different instruments on nearly every track.   

The lyrics on 'This Side of the Island' showcase Hamilton’s unrelenting optimism and biting humor and as they consider heavy themes of solitude, love, loss, and resilience. Inspired by events in Hamilton’s personal life, the songs resonate deeply both in today's polarized social and political world, as the title track says “It’s not a beautiful country/as much as I’d like it to be”. “What do I know?” “What  do I know?” “What do I know?” “What do I know?” —emphasize any word in that  title and you’ll change the meaning. Kind of silly questions…until you start digging  in. “When the singer burns her torch/no she will not be ignored, and I love her pain, and her pride and her shame/but what do I love now?” he asks himself.