THE HANSEROTH TWINS
ANNOUNCE DEBUT ALBUM VERA
EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY BRANDI CARLILE
OUT JULY 26 VIA ELEKTRA | PRE-ORDER/PRE-SAVE HERE
Ever since their childhood, identical twin brothers Phil and Tim Hanseroth would sit in chairs across from one another with guitars in their hands and their knees practically touching. As they sang to each other, music filled what little empty space existed between them. In essence, their songwriting set the tempo for one shared heart in the middle. Even after earning three GRAMMY® Awards, attaining multiplatinum success, and performing countless sold out shows as Brandi Carlile’s closest collaborators and bandmates, they still write this way.
This kind of vulnerability underscores The Hanseroth Twins’ full-length debut album, Vera [Elektra Records]. Stitching together a patchwork of Americana, folk, indie, and rock, the record is the sound of two brothers, best friends, and creative soulmates pondering life, love, loss, fatherhood, mental health, and what the future holds out loud.
“Back when we were kids, we couldn’t afford microphones, so we were screaming at each other most of the time,” laughs Tim. “If you’re singing a song that’s intimate, important, and real, you want to be as close as you can possibly be. We’re able to really vibrate with each other.”
“It’s a great way to capture honesty,” smiles Phil. “You’re not going to lie to someone’s face.”
They’ve always shared truth via music. You could certainly hear it across their work with Carlile—spanning everything from the GRAMMY® Award-winning “The Joke” (Best American Roots Song), “Bring My Flowers Now” (Best Country Song), and “Broken Horses” (Best Rock Song) to the gold-certified “The Story.” Throughout the last two decades, they’ve notably performed at some of the most hallowed venues in the world, including The Hollywood Bowl and Madison Square Garden. Not to mention, they’ve co-written songs for the likes of Tanya Tucker, Zac Brown Band, and The Highwomen, to name a few. During 2020, the guys maximized their time at home, writing and recording at a prolific pace. Upon hearing a few demos, Carlile staunchly championed the idea of Tim and Phil pursuing a record of their own.
“Brandi’s encouragement led us to do this,” Tim affirms. “We weren’t trying to conquer the world, but we were trying to put something beautiful into it that we’re proud of.”
With Carlile as executive producer, The Hanseroth Twins created what would become Vera in their home studios outside of Seattle, WA. Tim and Phil not only wrote and performed all of the material, but they also helmed the production. “By producing ourselves, we didn’t have to justify any decisions,” Tim continues. “We had all of the time in the world, so we wrote from our hearts. It was very intentional, because these songs are so personal to us.”
Tim and Phil initially introduced the band with their debut single “Remember Me.” Penned for their children, this heartfelt ballad garnered critical acclaim from the likes of Variety. However, they open up like never before on the single “Broken Homes.” Backed by gentle murmurs of acoustic guitar, it paints an arresting portrait of a fractured family illustrated through confessional lyrics, “Learned quite young, and on my own, how to go to sleep angry and die in my bed.” Teeming with feeling, a heart-wrenching call-and-response between the brothers drives the chorus over softly strummed chords, “Broken homes hurt longer, broken bones heal stronger.”
“It’s a personal story about our childhood,” Tim notes. “We grew up very poor, and our parents divorced when we were young. There wasn’t a lot of harmony after the split, so Phil and I just had each other. When you go through adversity, it makes you stronger. We’re standing here tall, because we come from a broken home.”
The opener “If Everyone Had Someone” hinges on the otherworldly twinkle of a bright guitar arpeggio. Delicate musings on the verses give way to a luminous hook, “In the darkness there would still be a light if everyone had someone like you.”
“It’s a simple love song,” Tim says. “You wish everybody could have that kind of meaningful love.”
“When Brandi listened to the tracks, she put together a sequence, and ‘If Everyone Had Someone’ was first,” Phil goes on. “We agreed it’s a great way to bring people into the album.”
Then, there’s “Counting The Days.” It wrestles with the stresses of life on the road and the turbulence of mental health. Thoughts of loneliness flood the first few lines, “Lying in some hotel room far away from love.”
“I had a rough summer,” admits Tim. “I was struggling with my mental health, which is especially hard when you’re constantly waking up in a different hotel room. I’m in Philadelphia crying in the shower, while my kids are doing something I’ll never get to see. It’s heavy.”
Elsewhere, blazing electric guitar revs up “The Poor Side of People” with a raucous rockabilly swing, punk spirit, and raw energy. “It’s the oddball,” grins Phil. “We never would’ve gotten away with it in our band with Brandi. It definitely brings us back to our roots of listening to Dead Kennedys, Social Distortion, Circle Jerks, Minor Threat, and Fugazi.”
“We’re all children of the universe, but it’s so strange there’s actually a ‘Poor Side of Town’,” Tim elaborates. “We realized there’s only a poor side of town, because there’s a type of person with a ‘Poor Side’ who would rather amass a fortune rather than have wealth be equally distributed.”
Reaching an emotional apex, “Somewhere Between” cuts deep as the guys pay tribute to a friend gone-too-soon. “It’s about an old friend of ours who sadly lost the battle with mental health and addiction,” Phil sighs. “In times of struggle, you have to reflect and know you’re going to be okay.”
“Even though he passed a few years ago, he’s always with us in spirit,” adds Tim. “He was on our mind, because he’s still helping us out as a friend and inspiring music.”
The Latin title Vera translates to “True,” and there’s no better way to sum up the music of The Hanseroth Twins. “Vera was the perfect name, because every note of this record is genuine in terms of how it was written and recorded,” Phil leaves off. “There’s no trickery; it’s just the truth.”
“Phil and I are so close,” Tim concludes. “I can feel what he’s feeling all of the time, and it’s part of the music. With how busy we get, who knows if we will get to make another record like this. Vera is a special moment in time that we’ll never forget.”
VERA TRACKLISTING:
1. If Everyone Had Someone
2. Remember Me
3. Counting The Days
4. Under The Weather
5. A Little Respect
6. The Poor Side of People
7. I’ll Always Know I Do
8. Broken Homes
9. Somewhere Between
10. The Loyal Soldier
ABOUT THE HANSEROTH TWINS:
The music of Tim and Phil Hanseroth remains forever threaded into the fabric of the 21st century American songbook and culture at large. The identical twins have co-written dozens of songs in the studio, co-produced Top 10 albums, performed thousands of gigs on stage, and reached towering heights as Brandi Carlile’s most trusted songwriting partners and creative confidants. Along the way, they’ve each garnered three GRAMMY® Awards out of 10 nominations, played for sold out crowds in legendary venues like Madison Square Garden and The Hollywood Bowl, and actualized seemingly impossible childhood dreams. An instant bond was formed with Carlile after first meeting in 1999, and, over the next two decades, their catalog blossomed alongside Carlile, including acclaimed hits like the GRAMMY® Award-winning “The Joke” (Best American Roots Song), “Bring My Flowers Now” (Best Country Song), and “Broken Horses” (Best Rock Song) as well as the gold-certified “The Story.” Dolly Parton notably covered the latter, while Adele even cut her own rendition of “Hiding My Heart.” Plus, they penned music for the likes of Tanya Tucker, Zac Brown Band, and The Highwomen, to name a few. Now, they step into the light like never before as The Hanseroth Twins, with their forthcoming debut album Vera.
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My life is a soundtrack, i track my life through music, photography is my passion, my escape, my expression. Without both i have pieces missing, thankfully i’m blessed and get to combine both.
Born in Manchester, lived in Australia for 22 years where i was heavily involved in the Australian Music Industry, firstly in bands (Singer) and then managing bands (all original), I moved back to the UK, Wales specifically 10 years ago
