Ohio natives, Hawthorne Heights, has returned with their heaviest song to date spanning across their 22-year history, aptly titled “The Storm.” The nearly three-minute ripper is the first preview to the band’s forthcoming, freshly announced EP, Lost Lights, via Pure Noise Records. The collection is set to drop on September 8 the day before the group’s Ohio Is For Lovers Festival performance.
From the first note, “The Storm” kicks into high gear with tantalizing guitar work, hauntingly atmospheric layers across the instrumentation and vocals, and JT Woodruff’s signature blend of harmonies. The track takes on a contemplative feel, reflecting on themes of struggle, resilience, and the journey through life’s challenges. The poignant lyrics convey a sense of hope amidst turmoil, with Woodruff’s vulnerable delivery taking listeners on an all-too-familiar emotional journey. With each verse, the instrumentation grows in intensity, building up to an anthemic and cathartic chorus.
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“’The Storm’ was written in the middle of the night, deep in the throes of a worldwide shutdown, as I locked myself in a crimson red cabin in rural Ohio,” Woodruff shares. “I needed to withdraw from the noise, in a world where everything was falling apart. No internet. No cable. No cell phone service. You truly have to be prepared for that type of silence. If you aren’t comfortable inside your own head, the silence can swallow you whole. I welcomed it. I let the calm and quiet slowly drag me under. The only sound I could hear was the gentle roar of a creek that was behind the cabin, knifing through the desperate forest that I was purposefully lost in.”
He continues, “It came to me as I was staring into the fire that was raging in an old-timey, wood-burning hearth. I tossed another log into it and noticed how quickly it turned to embers, and how long it took for the embers to smolder from orange to black. Within that darkest black, I saw what seemed to me like a bright future. I felt myself letting go of things that I didn’t realize that I was hanging on to, and I immediately felt relief. I realized that I needed to set a fire inside of myself and burn it down. I imagined what it would be like to stand on the ridge that was overlooking the cabin and see the most beautiful fire that my eyes could register. The deepest orange of a thousand Halloweens. The war at home is never ending.”
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As “The Storm” leaves its mark, the anticipation for the upcoming EP, Lost Lights, grows even stronger. Check out Hawthorne Heights’ new single and video below.
Hawthorne Heights will also be hitting all of their Is For Lovers Festival dates throughout August and September before embarking on their fall tour. You can check out the band’s full touring schedule below and grab tickets to see them live here.
Tour Dates:
- July 29—Manteo, NC @ Is For Lovers Festival 2023
- Aug. 19-20—Council Bluffs, IA @ Is For Lovers Festival 2023
- Aug. 26—Silverado, CA @ Is For Lovers Festival 2023
- Sept. 9—Cincinnati, OH @ Is For Lovers Festival 2023
- Sept. 10—Pelham, TN @ Is For Lovers Festival 2023
- Sept. 12—Saint Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall
- Sept. 13—Indianapolis, IN @ Deluxe
- Sept. 15—Chicago, IL @ Riot Fest 2023
- Sept. 17—Mansfield, MA @ Is For Lovers Festival 2023
- Sept. 27—Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theatre
- Sept. 28—Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
- Oct. 1—Atlanta, GA @ Atlanta Symphony Hall
- Oct. 4—Patchogue, NY @ Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts
- Oct. 5—Englewood, NJ @ Bergen Performing Arts Center
- Oct. 6—Torrington, CT @ Warner Theatre
- Oct. 7—Glenside, PA @ Keswick Theatre
- Oct. 12—Washington City, DC @ Warner Theatre-DC
- Oct. 13—Waterloo, NY @ Portico at del Lago Resort and Casino
- Oct. 14—Atlantic City, NJ @ Ovation Hall at Ocean Casino Resort
- Oct. 18—Fort Pierce, FL @ Sunrise Theatre
- Oct. 20—Akron, OH @ Goodyear Theatre
- Oct. 22—Mckees Rocks, PA @ Roxian Theatre
- Oct. 24—Louisville, KY @ The Louisville Palace
- Oct. 25—Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre at Old National
- Oct. 26—Sheboygan, WI @ Staphanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts
- Oct. 27—Waukegan, IL @ Genesee Theatre
- Oct. 28—Kalamazoo, MI @ James W. Miller Auditorium
- Oct. 30—West Saint Paul, MN @ Fitzgerald Theatre
- Nov. 2—Davenport, IA @ Capitol Theatre
- Nov. 3—Des Moines, IA @ Hoyt Sherman Place
- Nov. 5—Omaha, NE @ The Astro Theatre
- Nov. 9—Palm Desert, CA @ McCallum Theatre
- Nov. 11—Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
