Zander Hawley is a time traveler. Or at least he’s a time traveler in his new single, “Thumbs,” which sees the folk singer-songwriter wishing he had loved someone sooner.
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“‘Thumbs’ is a love song through a regretful lens,” Hawley tells American Songwriter. “[It’s about] taking control of your life, and instead of celebrating yourself for it, mentally berating yourself for not having done it sooner, certain that at the antique age of 22 you surely missed your chance at happiness in love.”
Hawley delivers the track’s opening verse with delicate, breathy vocals that float above minimal guitar and drum parts: “I won’t sleep tonight / It’s been this way for weeks I think I’m losing all my marbles / Trying to sleep alone in these old sheets.” He spells out some of his specific regrets in the lines to come: “I should’ve changed all my plans for you / I should’ve just stuck around and ditched a month of school.”
Of course, regrets can’t change the past. “I invented time travel / I don’t know how but I’m back here now,” Hawley sings before delving into more of the things he wishes he’d done differently. His vocals glide in the chorus as he admonishes himself for “not making you mine.” Finally, the last minute of the track builds to a symphonic reckoning with lush production elements that sound more indebted to chillwave than to folk.
“Thumbs” is Hawley’s first release since his two latest singles, 2019’s “Forest Fire” and 2018’s “When You See My Heart.” The former is a moving number in which Hawley grapples with confusion, loneliness, and heartbreak with impressive maturity: “And it hurts to get too young / And feel older at the same time / That’s the twisted symphony / That plays inside my mind,” he sings. The chorus is particularly bruising: “I miss the one, I always do / For almost half a decade now / I’ve been in love with you / But nothing ever changes / And we stay always confused.”
“When You See My Heart” is a more brooding, down-tempo number than “Forest Fire,” but it displays just as much vulnerability. Hawley sings directly to someone who’s hurt him: “You’re playing a show downtown / If I show up I’ll get to see you / And take as many pictures as I want / If I get close enough / I will open up my jacket / And I’ll show you all the damage / You have caused.” The last line of that verse should hit the hardest, but it’s delivered with shocking tenderness.
“Forest Fire” and “When You See My Heart” both followed Hawley’s debut solo album, 2017’s When I Get Blue, and his debut solo EP, 2015’s I Wish I Was. Previously Hawley fronted the folk duo Honeywater with violinist / vocalist Amandla Stenberg. The duo released two EPs–2016’s Wonder and their 2015 self-titled debut–but Hawley is now focused on his solo career. “Thumbs” pairs the singer-songwriter’s characteristically confessional lyrics with his most ambitious production to date.
“Thumbs” is out now.
