While there’s still no word on new material from The Walkmen following their 2023 reunion, frontman Hamilton Leithauser has announced a new solo LP titled This Side of The Island. Following the release of the title track last month, today he’s sharing the project’s second single “Knockin’ Heart,” an uptempo, poppy ballad with messy drums and scratchy guitars adding some nice accents to Leithauser’s iconic voice.
“‘Knockin’ Heart’ is sung by an estranged, stoned lover on their way home, who is dying to get a message through to someone who is probably not listening,” Leithauser shared of the track, which was produced by Aaron Dessner. “It was the last song I played for Aaron when we got together, and the first song he helped me work on. I’d say he raised the ceiling and lowered the floor on the entire thing sonically. He actually used a funny bass technique he said he’d used on a Taylor Swift song, which I got a kick out of.”
The project was co-produced by Leithauser and Dessner, along with Hamilton’s wife Anna Stumpf. Check out the video for “Knockin’ Heart” below, and pre-order This Side of The Island here before it arrives March 7 on Glassnote Records.
