Today, Hayden James released the next single from his forthcoming sophomore LP LIFTED. ‘On Your Own’ is a powerful collaboration alongside Grammy-nominated producer, DJ and mixing engineer Cassian, and Grammy-nominated vocalist and songwriter Elderbrook.
Elderbrook’s soaring harmonies coupled with Cassian and Hayden’s punchy synth lines combine to create a flawless dance floor track. ‘On Your Own’ ties effortlessly into Hayden’s LP ethos; while the lyrics and the melody overflow with emotion, massive synth swells and a jacked up bass-line that transports you right into the heart of clubland.
Hayden James comments — “Working with Elderbrook and Cassian on this record was epic. Cassian and I have been working on music together for the past 10 years so this one was special. I had an early demo version of this instrumental for years which I sent to Elderbrook mid-lockdown. He came back with the first verse and straight away that vocal was so, so great. I held onto it for six months, didn’t really do anything with it until I played it to Cassian when we had some studio time together while I was over in the States recently.
Cass and I worked out this high melodic, harmonic synth lead line line you hear in the pre chorus. The marriage of the melody with Elderbrook’s soaring vocal is such a moment.. it’s all about harmony for me. We knew we had something special once we got that down. This one feels like a true Hayden x Cassian x Elderbrook collab. It has huge energy and is a true dance floor feel.”
Elderbrook adds — “Was great to team up with Hayden again to make this song. The lyrics and song mean a lot to me. And the meaning of them is to encourage people to be true to themselves and not be hard on themselves.”
A self-taught multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer-songwriter, Elderbrook has an unrivaled ability to create emotive and introspective music that brims with sensitivity. Grammy-nominated in 2018 for his platinum-selling single ‘Cola’ with CamelPhat, he has since gone on to tour with artists across genres, including Jungle, Bonobo, and Friendly Fires, and dropped his debut album Why Do We Shake In The Cold? in 2020.
Widely known for his mixing expertise, having worked closely with Australian acts like Grammy nominated RÜFÜS DU SOL, Broods, Lastlings and more, Cassian has quietly built a well-known and respected brand for himself. His work behind the scenes has been awarded with Grammy nominations and countless Arias; and set his widely-praised, debut solo LP Laps in motion on Rose Avenue Records in 2020. Most recently, he released Reactivate, an pulsing club-forward EP forged in lockdown that echoes Hayden James’ desire to thrill a live audience once more.
‘On Your Own’ arrives off of an explosive tour announcement from Hayden James, who will return to the US for Art of the Wild in March, and Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April, before embarking on a 20 date tour across North America. Clouded under the fog of quarantine and with a return to live music at the forefront of his vision, Hayden James crafted LIFTED, a collection of tracks aimed at emboldening the comradery of the rave. His goal being to create something that would translate euphorically on stage and into the crowd as lockdowns started lifting and ravers found themselves on the dance floor together once more. Tracks with SIDEPIECE, Boo Seeka, Jem Cooke, Xavier Dunn and more litter the LP demonstrate a real appreciation for collaboration in dance music, regardless of location.
LIFTED is out Friday, April 8 via Future Classic
“On Your Own” is out now, buy/stream here.