Hallelujah the Hills are a criminally underappreciated indie-rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, who’ve been around, in one form or another, since 2005. Titus Andronicus frontman Patrick Stickles cited the band’s last LP, the Kickstarter-aided No One Knows What Happens Next, as one of 2012’s best unsigned records, but it might just take the enduring strength of their forthcoming full-length Have You Ever Done Something Evil? — uh, why do you ask? — to bring their long-deserving recognition.
Speaking of existentially difficult questions, the above single “Do You Have Romantic Courage?” is one of the finest songs Hallelujah the Hills has ever recorded, a gulpingly exuberant singalong with the perfectly astute lyric, “This life ain’t nothing but liquor in a room with firearms.” If the mood and the ’90s-rock nostalgia and the light is just right, this song will make your withered heart swell.
Why they keep asking, by the way: As songwriter Ryan Walsh explains thoughtfully in the record’s press materials, “If you could only ask a person two yes or no questions, and they had to tell the truth, what two questions would you ask them to decide if this were someone you should let into your life? The album title and ‘Do You Have Romantic Courage?’ are what I came up with. I’ve placed them both here for free use. I’ve asked someone already. I got my answers. It’s your turn.”
Take your turn while you watch the video for “Do You Have Romantic Courage?” above, listen to the song below (no, really, do that), and scroll down further for Hallelujah the Hills’ tour dates.
Hallelujah the Hills tour dates:
May 19 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Mint
May 20 – San Francisco, CA @ The Hemlock
May 21 – Oakland, CA @ The New Parish
May 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Viper Room
May 24 – Santa Monica, CA @ The Trip
May 25 – West Hollywood, CA @ The Upright Citizens Brigade
May 30 – Allston, MA @ Great Scott
