“I have this theory that if New York wants you in the city, it’s going to keep you,” Hank Heaven says with a knowing smile while reclining on a couch in The FADER office.
The Hudson Valley-born, New York City-based songwriter is talking about being a working musician in the City they’ve called home for the past decade. “I’d be pretty broke, but something would just save me, last minute.”
Stories about the pitfalls and saving graces of New York City gleam in acoustic and electric color on their new EP Welterweight (out tomorrow, August 14) — six songs which pair plainly told stories with Hank’s deceptively complex songcraft.
They tell tale of one key incident on EP standout “I Wanna Be Your Man” from their new EP: a friend was moving to Paris and let them stay in their apartment for free. “The landlord was in prison,” they remember. Other caveats included “a small gas leak,” sharing a bathroom with a neighbor (“a character”), and having to take care of “two blind cats.” “You’re going through the emotional roller coasters of life, heartbreak, and then there’s this really hilarious backdrop of a living situation.”