Haux, the alias of the Berkshires’ Woodson Black, shares his new single “Claire De Lune.” The new song is the second offering from his forthcoming sophomore album Blue Angeles, due spring 2024 via Ultra Records. Produced by Thomas Bartlett at Reservoir Studios, “Claire De Lune” is layered with cascading piano and soft guitar and arrives with a video featuring dancer Sayer Mansfield of Pilobolus and Compagnie Marie Chouinard. “Claire De Lune” comes after the lead single “Carte Blanche,” which dropped with a self-directed video.
Speaking about “Claire De Lune,” Black shares, “I had a close friend who died in an accident six years ago. I was on tour in Vienna at the time and got the call after my show. I didn’t make it back for the service and the years flew by. I always wished I could like rewrite the script and be there for her at the end. It’s like this song became my own funeral fairytale. It gave me the chance to finally say goodbye in person.”
Produced by Thomas Bartlett (Taylor Swift, Florence + The Machine, Sufjan Stevens), Maxwell Byrne (Mallrat), and Aug E. Rose, Blue Angeles was recorded in Los Angeles, New York City, and The Berkshires. The album follows Black as he attempts to outrun the past on highways across the United States until he eventually reaches the end of the road in Los Angeles, where he explores his own addiction and spirituality until ultimately finding healing in nature.
When he returned home from Los Angeles, Black began a new chapter of his journey with his best friend at his grandmother’s East Mountain Retreat Center – a center practicing radical hospitality and interfaith spiritual guidance on the Appalachian Trail. Together, over the course of a calendar year, the two finished the remaining songs for the album, built a garden and began climbing trees. Woodson shares, “I was living in denial in LA. I couldn’t see the stars at night and the movie stars were living their lives in hiding. I needed to wake up and face the music. The mountain gave me a place to reconnect with my childhood and finally put down my phone. It allowed me to make peace with myself and to give thanks for the things I have in my life.”
Woodson Black has been releasing music as Haux since his debut EP All We’ve Known in 2016. His elusive nature, dreamy falsetto, and self-directed style have created a world where listeners can breathe fresh air. Blue Angeles is the answer to Black’s question, “What happens when we stop running away?” He adds, “I needed to grow up to write this record and that isn’t something that just happens overnight. It’s taken me the better part of three years and I needed all of it to be where I am today.” It is the long-awaited follow up to Haux’s debut album Violence in a Quiet Mind, which was lauded by GRAMMY.com, The New York Times, and Pitchfork and features the stand out songs “Calico” and “Eight” featuring Rosie Carney.
Check out “Claire De Lune” and pre-order / save Blue Angeles above and stay tuned for more from Haux coming soon.