(Arista) Alabama-born singer-songwriter Zach Hood shares his debut album Whispering Pines - an unflinching look at old pains, fresh mistakes, and better days to come - via Arista Records. The LP arrives as Zach is wrapping up his I Tend to Lose Things Tour and comes with a video for haunting folk-pop cut "Sleepwalking" with Sasha Alex Sloan.
Hood has a rep for sensitive introspection, candid storytelling, and hooks that make your eyes well up while you sing along. "Sleepwalking" is no exception, pairing upbeat guitar strum and an infectious hook with lyrics about being haunted by lost love. The track was not only performed, but co-written with Sasha Alex Sloan, an impressive artist in her own right who has also written for the likes of Charli XCX, Dua Lipa and Camilla Cabello. Zach's and Sasha's voices perfectly intertwine on the chorus - "I still love you and I hate it / I keep dissociating, looking for the ghost of you" - and the accompanying video captures the mood: warm and familiar, with a hurt that's hard to shake.
Zach took a moment to share the inspiration at the core of his new album:
"Whispering Pines is the apartment complex my mom, my brother, and I moved into after the divorce. Those were the hardest moments of our lives, and we were honestly struggling. This is also where we got the closest to one another. I truly believe that hard things bring us closer to not only the people around us but to ourselves. All I've ever wanted was to write songs and help others through music. This album is not for me. It's for the person going through one of the toughest patches of their life. It's for the person that just found the love of their life. Whispering Pines is a place of comfort and a place where you don't feel so alone. It's for everyone."
The Whispering Pines tracks Zach released in the run-up to album drive that home with a powerful mix of unvarnished intimacy and total relatability. Most recently, there was that wistful smile of a breakup song, "Happy Ever After" featuring ROSIE, preceded by coming-of-age cut "Fireflies & Southern Weather," the deeply personal "how to change a tire," and "30."
And then, of course, there's his viral May single, "Weatherman," which has amassed over 20 million streams worldwide, contributing to a growing catalog with well over 300 million global streams to date. The Whispering Pines highlight was also featured on Spotify's Folk Pop and Acoustic Pop playlists, and scored Zach his debut TV performance on Good Day Columbus.
With just one date left on the I Tend to Lose Things Tour, Zach will be wrapping up his first headlining run in New York's Mercury Lounge on November 22. Catch him while the room is as intimate as his songs.
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