Ever since their childhood, The Hanseroth Twins, Phil and Tim, 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 multi-platinum 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. 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.
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.”
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