Stream Hamilton Leithauser’s Black Hours in its entirety

Photo by Cameron Pollack
Recently, during WXPN’s Non-COMM, Hamilton Leithauser – former lead singer of The Walkmen – performed a set of new songs that he showcased during his Free At Noon concert. He graced the stage with a large band that included a string section, yet dominated the set with his imposing height, charismatic showmanship, and excellent new material. Hamilton releases his solo debut album, Black Hours, on Tuesday, June 3rd, however you can listen to the record its entirety here via NPR Music.

In his review of the album, Stephen Thompson, of NPR Music, says:

The singer largely tones down the briskly jangled rush of The Walkmen’s sound throughout Black Hours, as he steers many of its songs toward a slow-burning seethe that suits him well. But there’s still a looseness to the record that allows Leithauser to play around on new terrain: “I Retired,” in addition to having the most solo-debut-friendly title ever, even finds him delving into doo-wop halfway through. But Leithauser still hews to themes of aging and alienation — “I retired from my war / No one knows what I was fighting for / I don’t even know myself anymore” — in ways that make Black Hours sound like a natural sequel to The Walkmen’s work.

Listen to Black Hours here.

XPN Welcomes Hamilton to the Prince Theatre on Saturday, July 12th. Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased here