Guest blogger Daniel continues his countdown of the year’s top albums…

Best Albums of 2022 – #2
HISS – Clean Cut Kid

I’m not quite sure where to begin with this record. I guess I’ll start with the story of how it was recommended to me by my sister when I visited her in California. I’m impressed mainly by how Maddie was able to explain to me why and how much she loved this record without overhyping it. This is a task that I’ve always found somewhat difficult and will likely fail in accomplishing now with this review.

When I did finally create the space to truly appreciate this album on the red eye back from California to Florida, I was so overwhelmingly surprised in the best way. I can’t remember the last time I was put on to a new artist that instantly was able to make this much of an impression on me.

During this roughly 6-hour flight I was gifted the opportunity to listen to and discover and rediscover this album roughly 12 times. This is a luxury allowed by its short runtime of 31 minutes. In those 31 minutes Michael Halls and Evelyn Halls, the husband-wife writing duo who provide the lyrics and their mellifluous vocals to this record, are able to beautifully flesh out their feelings on love, grief, bravery, mental health, and, perhaps most powerfully, what it is to be a struggling musician.

On the track ‘Inside My Head,’ the music is deceptively cheery. Perfectly employed acoustic guitar and wah-wah pedal effected electric guitar provide the backdrop for this bop. However, don’t be fooled by your Pavlovian instinct to dance. From the grabbing first lyric “After I have written all the songs inside my head, Will I be an average son?” Halls continues to question the value in the pursuit of his craft and livelihood. This all culminates in the titular hook “After I have written all the songs inside my head I’ll do some real work.”

What I love about this line and about many of the stories told throughout this record is how ripe they are for interpretation. Of course, “real work” can be taken at face value. There’s always the proverbial “or you could get a real job?” in response to one sharing their interest in becoming a musician. However, I feel the term “real work” here also speaks to the idea that Halls doesn’t feel like he’s truly processing the heavy emotions dealt with throughout this album. He’s relying upon music to steer him through this tough time, but what if when he’s done utilizing music as a catharsis he finds there’s far more room for growth.

It is clear throughout the record that the singer has suffered a loss and it becomes increasingly clear that that loss is of his mother. There are elements to his ruminations on her slipping away that are seeped in intentional ambiguity. Perhaps, this is so Halls can literally sing on the topic as there are moments where you can hear his voice cracking on the tougher lyrics. For example, to again cite ‘Inside My Head,’ you can hear an all too familiar sharp release of breath in the second verse when Halls wonders “For what’s a downtown boy without the ink inside his pen, Besides a classless fool?” The way that Halls is able to navigate these difficult subject matters is touching to say the least.

At many times during my repeated listens on that red eye flight I found myself brought to tears. I felt at the time this may have been due to sleep exhaustion but in subsequent listens I’ve had a similar reaction. This is a special album. I’ve never quite heard an album like this and I don’t know that I ever will again. I take solace in the fact that Michael and Evelyn Halls seem to have found as much peace, joy, and light in making this record as I have found in listening to it. If they ever were to read this I’d like to thank them for taking all their emotions and allowing them the space to be carefully considered and celebrated on this touchstone.