Big Stir Records is proud to bring you the long-awaited fourth album from Vermont-based indie-folk chamber-pop duo HUNGRYTOWN – their debut for the label – to be released on CD and all digital platforms on June 21. CIRCUS FOR SALE has been teased by the hit indie singles “Another Year,” “Feel Like Falling” and “Tuesday Sun,” and it arrives as the band continue to take its songs on the road with year-round tour dates in the US and UK.

Rebecca Hall and Ken Anderson, through their years of worldwide touring and tireless devotion to many classic genres of music, have crafted HUNGRYTOWN into a true artistic hybrid, able to hold Celtic and Americana, ballads and psychedelia, sunshine and darkness, joy and despair -- not only within the same album, but within the same song. That's been true across the three prior full-length records they've released since their 2005 formation, all of which have won accolades and Year's Best recognition from within the roots and folk community and beyond, but on CIRCUS FOR SALE, Hungrytown goes deeper, higher, and further into a world and sound of their own creation.

The borders of that dream geography can be sensed on the singles: each travels a path from stark to lush, with Hall's voice (once described by Roger McGuinn as embodying “a sweetness and a worldly wisdom in perfect balance”) gliding above delicate acoustic guitar intros that build into sophisticated, textured arrangements devised by Anderson and culminating in the near-Sunshine Pop groove of the paradoxical prayer for rain “Tuesday Sun”. These songs are cinematic and intimate all at once, partly ancient, partly tethered to '60s baroque pop, and belonging in equal parts to the modern world and a time all their own.

That Hungrytown has built a thoroughly bespoke world apart from the one we know on Circus For Sale is partly down to the circumstances of its creation. For a band that's spent over a decade constantly on the road, the static existence mandated by the pandemic was fated to impact the creative process, all the more so given the rural Vermont environs in which they spent it. The unease of the unasked-for stillness can be felt on “Little Bird” despite the tune's sweetly jangling lilt, on the mesmerizingly unsettling waltz of the title track, and in the hushed chamber-pop of its thematic companion piece “Gravity”. It reaches its turning point with the catharsis of “Feel Like Falling.” as Rebecca explains.

“I wrote those lyrics at the beginning of the pandemic, when we were trying to adjust to the sudden shift in our lives -- from constantly touring and performing to staying home and waiting. It's fundamentally a metaphor about grief, written over a period of a few months, but by the end of it I was beginning to realize that the break from the road was actually a gift of time. I was not used to having the luxury of time -- to write, observe and learn new skills -- instead of always being on the move.” As Anderson's string arrangement (beautifully executed by the Aliento Chamber Players) swells beneath her vocal at the song's end, that revelation is palpable and deeply striking.

The same sense of acceptance is also expressed in the band's deftly empathetic reading of Bert Jansch's “Morning Brings Peace Of Mind,” one of several heartfelt nods to the band's immersion in the roots of the music they play. The traditional ballad “Green Grow The Laurels” sees its traditional banjo melody driven along by rock and roll drums, only to dovetail into the complementary (but wholly original) wildflower ode “Trillium And Columbine” on which Hungrytown fully commits the baroque sounds that ornament so many other arrangements on Circus For Sale. The veil between the folkloric and the modern is just as thin on “Man Of Poor Fortune,” a band original in the mold of a classic murder ballad. In context, these songs lend the record a sense of slightly sideways lore -- the kind sometimes purveyed in the best songs of Robbie Robertson, Leonard Cohen, R.E.M. or Neko Case, a skewed mythology for a reality that's not quite congruent with ours, at once familiar and utterly mysterious.

Fittingly for a record on which Hungrytown is concerned with building their own world from a rare point of stillness rather than moving in a perpetual rush through the one we know, Circus For Sale is nearly bookended by odes to their native Vermont. The opening “Another Year” embodies all the months of the calendar: “It's an ode to the changing seasons, inspired by the magical melancholy of the softer side of late 1960s psychedelia,” says Hall. “There is beauty in this world, but the innocent '60s sensibility has been replaced by an uneasiness -- a sense of some apocalyptic threat lurking just outside the pleasant frame.” And while things have fallen slightly more into place by the penultimate track “Late New England (Afternoon In June)”, its gorgeous and celebratory tone still carries an echo of uncertainty as the lyrics conclude: “The ground is moving, guess I stumbled on your nest... and I'm so sorry that I woke you.”

The term “song cycle” is perhaps overused, but here, in the most unforced and authentic of ways, it applies: ending where it began, CIRCUS FOR SALE has traveled without moving, exploring the textures of stillness in remarkable depth. That leaves just the closing track, the beautifully understated “Leaving,” to signal that a journey long deferred is at last to begin anew. What that means within the song is as mysterious and compellingly ambiguous as much of what has come before. What it means in the real world is that HUNGRYTOWN is at last on the road again, already bringing these home-crafted artifacts of a time of stasis to audiences all over a once again bustling world. And the perspective that these songs bring to that still-troubled reality, onstage and as the bewitchingly multifaceted musical jewels that make up this record, is invaluable.

Vermont indie-folk-pop duo HUNGRYTOWN returns with “Tuesday Sun,” the followup to their March single “Feel Like Falling” and the third preview of what awaits on their forthcoming album due in late Spring from Big Stir Records. A throwback to ‘60s sunshine pop supplemented by a thoroughly modern melancholy underlying its breezy sonic sheen, “Tuesday Sun” will be accompanied by a very special hand-animated video when it debuts on all digital outlets worldwide on May 10. It’s up for pre-order and pre-save now:

https://orcd.co/hungrytown-tuesdaysun

It’s already been a watershed year for HUNGRYTOWN (singer-guitarist REBECCA HALL and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist KEN ANDERSON), both on the road in the US and with two singles from their forthcoming album already out and on the airwaves and playlists worldwide. “Tuesday Sun” is, on its surface, an upbeat change of pace from the introspection of “Feel Like Falling” and the earlier “Another Year”, but as is often the case with the band’s music, there’s much more going on beneath the surface.

“I've always admired bright songs that have a sad streak in them; it's a satisfying balance,” explains Hall. What’s more, the single was ultimately the product of a surprise development in the pair’s enduring creative process. Hall shares, “I felt very strongly at first that it should be a very folky, kind of singer-songwriter thing, and we tried recording it that way but it never clicked.” That remained the case up until Ken’s ears picked up what the pair had been missing all along. “Ken heard it a different way, with a much more sunshine pop approach, and as soon as we went that route with it, everything instantly fell into place.” Ken explains, “I basically dumbed down the guitar riff, and filled the blank space with a simple rock beat. I let the song build gradually until the crazy breakdown, which is supposed to represent the "cloud dance afternoon," where I threw in equal parts Byrds, Carpenters and Cowsills.” The band and label are especially excited to announce that the single will be accompanied by a music video animated by video artist Peter Robert Parlegreco, uniquely suited to the feel of the song. As a specialist in the art of 2D and frame-by-frame animation within the broader global independent film scene, Parlegreco’s work has been lauded in juried entries and awards. For Hungrytown’s “Tuesday Sun”, Peter employs one of his favorite materials for color and texture: ordinary construction paper. Sustainability is a big part of his art, as Peter uses castoff materials, like repurposed paper and cardboard for nearly all of the drawing. The medium brilliantly mirrors the innocence of the song’s sentiment. As HUNGRYTOWN returns to the road at home and abroad, anticipation builds for the new record, and its tunes reach new ears across the globe. Theirs is a sound that speaks to the modern world while tapping into the most ancient of musical traditions, ornamented with flourishes of '60s pop, and it has many more treasures to reveal. Announcements regarding the upcoming album will be provided later this month, so stand by for more updates over the coming weeks from your friends at Big Stir Records.

Big Stir Records is proud to bring you the next single from HUNGRYTOWN. “Feel Like Falling” is the followup to Vermont indie-folk-pop duo's label debut “Another Year” and the next preview of what awaits on their forthcoming album. It's cut from the same bewitching chamber-pop cloth, but it's as deeply personal as it is contemplative, building from a stark opening to an expansive strings-and-harmonies crescendo that takes listeners on a compellingly affecting journey. “Feel Like Falling” debuts on all digital outlets worldwide on March 29 and is up for pre-order and pre-save now:

https://orcd.co/hungrytown-flf

The HUNGRYTOWN sound – a timelessly fresh spin on folk rock, sunshine pop and psychedelia-tinged indie rock – is crafted by singer-guitarist REBECCA HALL and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist KEN ANDERSON. On “Feel Like Falling” they take us deep into their world. Rebecca says, “This is one of the most personal songs on our album.  I wrote the lyrics at the beginning of the pandemic, when we were trying to adjust to the sudden shift in our lives--from constantly touring and performing to staying home and waiting. During this time we were also caregiving for Ken's elderly mom, whom we brought to Vermont from Boston for her protection. As she is prone to falling, one of our biggest worries was in trying to prevent this. As I was writing, I realized that I could use the theme 'Feel Like Falling' both literally and figuratively, to talk about grief.”

“We wrote this song over a period of a few months, and by the end of it I was beginning to realize that the break from the road was actually a gift of time,” Hall continues. “I was not used to having the luxury of time – to write, observe and learn new skill – instead of always being on the move.” You can hear that reflection on “Feel Like Falling” as well as across the album yet to come: it's a world of its own created without travel, steeped in traditions of deep roots folk and baroque pop alike but occupying a time and place all its own.

Ken delves into the creation of the striking arrangement of the song: “I made Rebecca's original melody a little more chromatic, with a descending quality reflecting the song's subject matter. From a production standpoint, I wanted the song to increase in intensity towards an ending that was both dramatic yet inconclusive. The percussion, instrumentation and vocals build in stages, and I wrote a string part -- performed by the Aliento Chamber Players -- that appears two-thirds of the way through. I love how it turned out!”

As HUNGRYTOWN returns to the road at home and abroad, anticipation builds for the new record, and its tunes reach new ears across the globe. Theirs is a sound that speaks to the modern world while tapping into the most ancient of musical traditions, ornamented with flourishes of the '60s sunshine pop heyday, and it has many more treasures to reveal. Big Stir Records can't wait to bring them to you.

Big Stir Records is thrilled to welcome HUNGRYTOWN to our roster at the dawn of a new year, with a new single that's beguilingly appropriate in title and tone: “Another Year”, the first track from the Vermont indie-folk-pop duo's forthcoming album.

“Another Year” is both an apt introduction to the HUNGRYTOWN sound – a timelessly fresh spin on folk rock, sunshine pop and psychedelia-tinged indie rock – and the album to come in late spring of 2024. The duo of singer/guitarist REBECCA HALL and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist KEN ANDERSON are as of this writing (and nearly constantly) on the road in the US and abroad, enchanting fans with the songs of their three previous albums and the newer compositions that have been captured on the forthcoming CIRCUS FOR SALE. Their critically-acclaimed approach is a true artistic hybrid, able to hold Celtic and Americana, ballads and psychedelia, sunshine and darkness, joy and despair not only within the same album, but within the same song. They present it with remarkable, plaintive directness as a live duo, while their studio work adorns the melodies with subtle layers of instrumentation that lend the music a captivating sense of time and place: echoes of the traditions that feed them and sounds out of times completely unknown, brimming with familiarity and mystery alike.

So it is on “Another Year,” as Rebecca explains. “It's an ode to the changing seasons, inspired by the magical melancholy of late 1960s psychedelia. This is the softer side of psych, with poetic lyrics, plenty of references to the natural world, and an abundance of minor chords.” She sees the sound as a reflection of the song's thematic core: “There is beauty in this world, but the innocent '60s sensibility has been replaced by an uneasiness -- a sense of some apocalyptic threat lurking just outside the pleasant frame.”

As with many Hungrytown compositions, “Another Year” started with the simplest of observational inspirations. “From our porch in the summertime it is sometimes hard to tell where the fireflies end and the stars begin; we used that imagery to begin describing the changing seasons in Vermont,” says Hall. But the underlying sense of slowly encroaching dread is reflected in the arrangement as well. The song is driven along by a distorted Hammond organ riff that is always threatening to come unhinged, contrasted with ethereal female vocals. The combined effect is unflinchingly honest in more ways than one: it's pastoral but not idyllic, and its bravery lies in its insistence on finding beauty even in an August sun “worn right through and fraying at the seams” and the predatory ice of winter. You can hear it loud and clear in all its eerie, lovely glory on “Another Year”... and throughout the band's new album.

And so we welcome 2024, and with it, HUNGRYTOWN: a band for all its seasons. There is much more to come from them, and we at Big Stir Records can't wait to share it with you.