Hello, Face Returns with a New Album

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With a new album, Why the Long Phase, the group Hello, Face has collected a batch of thoughtful songs that could be journal entries. If they seem tied together that may be simply the result of the process. 

Produced by Ryan Rosmann and the band at Hi-Five Studio in Riverwest, Hello, Face includes musicians from Maritime, Carolina, The Championship, the Benjamins and Rx Drugs. 

Bobby Flowers (guitar, vocals) says the album—released on Good Land Records—is “mostly a scattered collection of some songs I’ve written in the last 10 years, after having taken a long break from playing any music.” Whether a driving bassline with purpose, anthemic stomp and roll, or a lightly fingerpicked guitar, the sound maintains a focus veering into intensity.

Were the songs written in connection to each other? Not intentionally, says Flowers. “I think they mostly come from the same place. Reflection and wonder and trying to understand my own emotions. If I put it in a song and put it out into the world, I won’t feel so bad anymore or things will be less scary. Maybe I’ll make peace with something.”

A deep bass groove sets up “Magnetic Mountains.” The standout track features a nagging, repetitive riff recalling Chris Whitley as Flowers concedes, “You can’t hide from the sands of time.” Guitarist Dan Hintz utilizes effects and Bigsby vibrato to create a big rubberband guitar sound on “Hard to Hold,” as Flowers sings “Will you be my Mary Magdaleeeen?—or set me free?”

Last piece of the puzzle

As Flowers recalls, “No One Else” came in under the wire. “When we were deciding on what songs we wanted to prepare for this recording session, we ended up only choosing nine songs.” He says because Hello, Face is not the most active band and inclined to long breaks, resuming can feel like starting over.

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“So, we decided rather than relearning a bunch of songs we weren’t so sure we even liked anymore, we’d focus on readying these nine and come up with something spontaneous in the studio for a tenth track. I wasn’t so sure about this idea, but the first night after recording Dan sent me that guitar part and the next morning we went back in and wrote and recorded that whole song in two hours. It was a pretty good morning.”

Hello, Face will play WMSE’s Local/Live on Tuesday Sept. 3; at Turner Hall on FridaySept. 6 as Mondo Lucha’s musical guest; and an album release show Saturday, Sept. 14 at Club Garibaldi.