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It’s not a concept album exactly, although the back half of the album became a sort of informal suite, flowing one song to the next in the key of C from the modulation in Cherry Shame all the way through to the end. I think that happened because I wrote all those songs around the same time on a guitar that happened to be in drop standard tuning, so all the strings were tuned down a whole step. That meant that when I played my homey cowboy chord shapes like D and G, I was really hitting C and F. I liked it. I kept it.

There are a lot of stories I want to tell you about this album, stories about where the lyrics came from and stories about the recording process too. So over the next few weeks I’m going to be writing a post dedicated to each song individually. I’ll explain a bit about the background of the lyrics, maybe going line by line on occasion. I’ll try to recall the many recording sessions and all the little quirks that came up in the 6 months it took to finish.

But for now, I want to deeply and sincerely thank everyone who was part of bringing these songs to life. The Belle Curves may be my ship to captain, but it’s far from being a solo endeavor.

• Nick Balzano: drums

• Mike Dvorscak: percussion, CP, singin

• Sarah Gross: singin

• Bill Hafener: electric guitar

• Delaney Hafener: bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, high-strung acoustic, autoharp, horns, singin

• Joe Leone: piano, hammond organ

• Evan Marré: bass, acoustic guitar, high-strung acoustic, upright bass, CP, moog, singin

• Josh Marré: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, singin

  • Produced by Delaney Hafener and Evan Marré

  • Engineered by Evan Marré and Mike Dvorscak in Watervliet NY

  • Additional tracking engineered by Evan Marré in Troy NY

  • Piano and organ recorded by Joe Leone and Delaney Hafener in Scranton PA

  • Photos by Debi Gustafson at Yellow Lab Vintage in Troy NY

I encourage everyone to listen via Bandcamp. I know many of us still use the big streaming platforms out of convenience, but I don’t need to be giving them free promotion too. Bandcamp also has a pretty damn good app now that makes it really easy to listen to the stuff you’ve bought there. Give it a shot. I also made CDs this time around, thanks in no small part to the wonderful folks who pre-ordered the digital copy. I got some cool, super-durable stickers too.

Buy a CD

Quick brag: Metroland gave the album a really sweet review, and I got to talk with Mk at WKZE and Gianna at WLIW-FM about the album.

Okay my friends, you’ll be hearing a lot more from me on this here substack. Appreciate you being here.

<3 Delaney

hello again my friends, i’m very happy to be writing this while sitting outside in my favorite place, enjoying some sunshine and trying not to check instagram every 5 seconds. The first single off the album i’ve been talking about for months now is out everywhere. I’d like to limit how much I do free promotion for evil streaming platforms so i won’t be linking to any of them, I’m sure you already know how to use whatever music streaming app you have. If you feel so inclined, I strongly encourage using Bandcamp whenever possible. “I’ll Come Back Around” is there for free, plus an additional song that won’t be available anywhere else until the album releases, and you can also pre-order the album. If I get a decent number of digital pre-orders (thanks to everyone who already did!) I’ll be able to order some CDs and maybe even vinyl??

Listen on Bandcamp

“I’ll Come Back Around” seems a fitting song to be the first one out of the gate, for a few reasons. so much in my life was in the midst of monumental change when i released Subject To Change. moving upstate, ending a nearly 10-year-long relationship, and then major band lineup changes all happened one after the other and i felt like i needed a break from serious music making to catch my breath, knowing i’d find energy for it again at some point. looking back now i realize i never really gave myself that break, for better or worse. regardless, i did eventually get my feet back under me and i feel like i’m ready to take this shit seriously this year. i’m coming back around!! get it??

the other reason it feels like a good kickoff single is musically it’s kind of two songs in one, and i think it’s a good cross-section of what you can expect on the rest of the album.

ok i lied about not linking out to spotify, i have to make the song actually playable in this post :/

Lyrics

Well I’m takin a little time
To figure myself out
Yeah I’m taking back my prime
To find what I’m about

Oh I’m letting my hair grow back to brown
But I’ll come back around

I got used to sayin less
Biting my tongue
Convoluted tangled mess
Filled my mouth with blood

But I won’t hold my breath, no I won’t drown
Oh I’ll come back around

I won’t hold my breath, no need to drown
Oh I’ll come back around

Oh I’m coming back around (coming back around)

i posted a clip of this song on instagram after i first wrote it last winter and my mom texted me asking if i was really going to let my hair turn brown again. i did briefly consider it but it just doesn’t feel like me. i think i’m actually meant to have crayola red hair.

Credits

• Drums: Nick Balzano

• Bass guitar: Delaney Hafener

• Electric guitar: Josh Marré

• Electric guitar: Bill Hafener

• High-strung acoustic guitar: Delaney Hafener

• Harmonies: Delaney Hafener, Sarah Gross, Evan Marré

• Yamaha CP25: Evan Marré

• Hammond: Joe Leone

• Percussion: Evan Marré

Produced by Delaney Hafener and Evan Marré

Engineered by Evan Marré and Mike Dvorscak in Watervliet NY

Additional tracking engineered by Evan Marré in Troy NY

Piano and organ recorded by Joe Leone and Delaney Hafener in Scranton PA

I really can’t express how grateful i am to the people listed here. being able to make songs sound in reality the way they sound in my head never gets old, and i will never take it for granted. Special thanks to Evan for sharing your time, space, and creative energy with me to make these recordings, you’re a gift.

More soon, + shows

Expect to see 2 more singles between now and April 24 :) here’s some Cool Gigs:

• February 12 // New Orleans // St Roch Tavern // duo set opening for Clare Doyle and Heather Littlefield

• February 20 // Nashville // Dee’s Lounge // full full band set with Sarah Gross and Lydia Von Hof (this is going to be nuts, a little reunion show for us and it’s also my 30th bday 🥴)

• March 27 // Albany // Albany Indoor Rockgym // full band set with Megan From Work and Haley Moley

that’s all for now

i love you thanks for being here

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I mostly want to just say hello again to folks to have joined the newsletter recently. we played a ton of great shows this year and met some lovely people. welcome aboard :)

it’s a good time to be a belle curves fan!!

i have masters for the new album waiting patiently in my google drive. i’m planning on getting this one out there quickly, like probably starting to release by the end of january or early february. still trying to wrap my head around the calendar but rest assured, i have 11 new tracks that i’m incredibly proud of and very soon you will not hear the end of it!

Merch

I have some actual merch online now! T shirts and hats and sweatshirts to start with, and i’ll keep adding more as i can. i’ll try to get some available at shows too but it might not be for a while yet so if you want one definitely order online. I’d love to get the new record pressed to vinyl but vinyl costs a lot of money up front so if you want to help that effort, buy a shirt! (or subscribe a few dollars a month here on substack hehe i’m taking a sort of PBS approach to this whole thing)

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I’m leaving sweet lil Troy NY for New Orleans again in a few days, but only after we play Saratoga’s New Years Eve celebration! We’re opening for Nicotine Dolls at Universal Preservation Hall at 6:50 tomorrow night, see ya there!!

we have a few shows lined up for the way down to NOLA, so if you’re in Philly, Annapolis, or Asheville, come say hello! hopefully will have a new orleans show added soon, and also have a pretty serious nashville show in february 👀individual posters below :)

What else is up??

honestly been fighting some pretty serious seasonal blues this year, experiencing it like i haven’t in a long time. the endless overcast combined with the cold and very early sunset is TOUGH but i’m learning ways to keep it at bay. making simple plans with friends is a big one. coffee dates and going swimming at the YMCA specifically.

christmas was lovely, just the right amount of activity this year even though i had a nasty cold!! bless dayquil <3 i also make a really delicious focaccia the other day for the first time, been having a lot of fun playing in the kitchen.

okay that’s all for now, next time i write will be from new orleans and hopefully will be to tell you that i have new music out! stay tuned my friends, and as always thank you for being here and caring about this music.

<3 delaney

I’m sitting outside a cafe in sweet lil downtown Troy the day after labor day. we’re coming into one of my favorite times of year now. something about mid september has always seemed emotionally charged to me, i think there’s a certain mania or potency in the air around the equinoxes as we all get ready to shift into different modes of living. i’m a big proponent of september still being primarily a summer month, at least for those of us not tied to school year schedules, but i will admit summer is definitely on its last legs. cherishing every time we get to enjoy 80 degrees during the day and then 60 degrees at night. really into it.

this past weekend was another edition of bradstock, eastern long island’s best kept secret. don’t tell anyone I told you. it’s a great little music festival held in center moriches every labor day with three stages, camping, impeccable vibes, and a lot of blueberry beer. i had the immense joy and honor of playing with both Sarah Gross and Pete Mancini this year, doing something i don’t get the chance to do very often: i played straight up rhythm guitar on someone else’s songs. and I gotta tell ya, i loved it. with Sarah, i played the first half of the set on bass then handed the role over to my pal Dave March for the second half. We have an unofficial collective of musicians we like to call Second Hand Twang, and it was such a gift to share the stage with just about everyone who’s been a part of our many projects. I just can’t express how grateful i am to be surrounded by such talent and mutual support. i don’t take it for granted.

the gigs have been gravy

the last couple months we’ve really had some great shows. in august we paid a visit back home to Long Island and played with Paris Ray at People’s Pub, opened for Weeeds in Hudson, hosted nola pals Big Leather at Unihog with 518 locals Rover, joined some fun bills at No Fun in Troy, all while experimenting with new lineups and instrumentation. and that was just august. in july we started a new album and i’m really really (really!) excited about it. if you’ve been to any of these shows lately you’ve heard quite a few of the new songs that are on it. i plan on doing the opposite that i did with subject to change and releasing this album as soon as it’s finished. i don’t see the point in waiting around and being overly precious with the “release cycle”. I just want the damn thing out there. if all goes according to plan (and it often does) it will be out by the end of the year and I can be touring and telling folks about it on my way back down to new orleans for the winter.

which reminds me: if you or anyone you know has a venue suggestion, is in a band, runs house shows, or anything along those lines between Maryland and Louisiana - let me know! i’m planning out my route down in January, so far i’ve got leads in philadelphia and annapolis for january 3rd and 4th, but there’s lots more past that to get myself to new orleans. and of course i’ll have to come back in the spring, so let’s chat bby

anyway, first things last: a whole slew of shows coming up, which makes .. a tour?

lots of upstate NY, one east end LI visit, plus we are FINALLY coming to new york city!! it’s been a min!! you got two chances to make a gig in NYC, one weeknight in manhattan and one sunday matinee in queens. new faces, new songs. it’s pretty consistent so i’m gonna go ahead and call this one a tour.

what else is up? I’ve been riding my bike a lot, celebrated my cousin’s wedding, saw Bob Dylan & Willie Nelson & Lucinda Williams & Wilco (!!!) at Jones Beach, keeping in touch with friends, playing with my house plants.

that’s all for now, love u see u soon <3

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it seems the weather here in upstate new york is finally breaking into our beloved springtime, and it’s a long time coming. when i made my plans for coming back from wintering in new orleans, i really thought i’d only have to deal with a couple weeks of cold but boy was i mistaken. lesson learned, i’m not on long island any more and warm weather takes its sweet time arriving upstate.

since i came home from new orleans in early March i’ve been running around a lot (surprising no one). I’ve been spending a lot of time in Scranton PA in particular, hanging at my friend/collaborator/fellow maniac Joe Leone’s house. we did some gigging as Sarah Gross’s band and then spent a weekend between shows working on a really fun video project, coming up with new acoustic arrangements of the songs on her recent release, The Library. The whole week felt like living our own version of The Band’s Big Pink, playing music all day then having family dinner together then having a few drinks and playing more music. I’m excited to share those videos, we cooked up something special.

I played upright bass a ton, and I want to keep my chops up on it cause I think I was getting pretty darn good by the end of the week. We topped it off with a really fun show at The Bog in Scranton, and we will definitely be back there later this year.

Troy life has been lovely despite spring’s late arrival. I’m back on my bike, hitting the farmer’s market on Saturday mornings, going to shows, and seeing friends. And I simply cannot stop writing songs.

It’s honestly gotten to the point where it’s like, … annoying. I already know what songs I want on this next record (plans for recording are currently being ironed out) and I don’t want to have to make any more decisions about what songs to add to it. Yet every time I pick up a guitar some new idea hits me over the head and I have no choice but to follow it and see where it goes. It’s like being swarmed by little creative urges all the time. Or if you’ve seen the disney movie Brave, it feels exactly like following wisps.

So I guess it’s a good problem to have, but it is a problem nonetheless. I’m thinking of recording some of the more folksy songs solo, and releasing some more music under my name. Which reminds me, the EP I put out last year “The Quiet Part” with Pete Mancini is back up on Spotify! yay

let’s get to the real kit n caboodle now of why we’re here

shows! a fck ton of shows! most are full band, too! links are for tickets :)

• April 30th Buffalo - Nietzche’s opening for Sarah Gross with Wild Honey Collective

• May 1st Syracuse - Funk n Waffles opening for Sarah Gross

• May 3rd Rochester - Radio Social with Sarah Gross

• May 9th Troy - El Dorado with Wealthy Jane and Pony in the Pancake

• May 13th Troy - solo as part of Song City with Reese Fulmer, Eric-Jon Tasker, and Dust Bowl Faeries

• June 4th New Orleans - solo at Banks Street Bar with Clare Doyle and Micah McKee

• June 12th Kingston - Night Swim with Larry Locust and Tom Jolu

• June 13th Troy - No Fun with Tom Jolu and Mod Lang

• June 14th Deposit - Pre Summer Solstice Party at The Red Barn

• June 14th Binghamton - Crowbar Arcade with Tom Jolu, The Neo Politans, and Kellie JW

• June 26th Glens Falls - Metroland Now Stage at Rock Hill Bakehouse, with Sydney Worthley

I did a quick interview recently with Hudson Mohawk Magazine! it remains unclear to me why people want to hear me yap endlessly but i’m not arguing. It’s part of the Sanctuary For Independent Media, which is a very cool organization here in Troy that you should know about if you’re in the capital region.

Interview with Hudson Mohawk Magazine

Music recommendation time:

Glass Pastures by Dusk

I’m making everyone i know listen to this record cause i just really like it. pretty sure i stumbled on it from a bandcamp daily post. :)

okay that’s all for now love you bye!!

lyrics:

Crystallizing, jaded, but I can’t exterminate

Every little bug who’s stealing picnics from my plate

Ants and beetles, bumblebees, everyone’s my guest

I won’t turn them all away, no I won’t call them pests

I’m alone at lunch

I’m lonely at dinner

I’m not asking much

I need to be wanted, but I don’t want to be needed

Don’t need me tonight 🫶

full song here: https://youtu.be/C5OBzFTzLgQ?si=m1ENaPPBVq1_B7ik

first and most important: we put out an album! Subject to Change came out in early September and i still think it rocks, so that feels important to mention. usually by the time new music comes out i’m kinda… over it, like i’ve written another dozen songs and i’m ready to move on. this time i DO have another dozen songs written already but i’m still really into this record. spotify link here (sorry that’s what i use, if you have apple or tidal or whatever you’ll just have to find it yourself) It got some nice reviews too, from Nippertown, NYS Music, RadioRadioX, plus a mention from WEXT.

Albany: December 5th

Alright album release is great and all but also kinda old hat at this point. what i really wanted to tell you about in this newsletter is our next show. Thursday, December 5th we will be at The Linda in Albany as part of the Live & Local series put on by WEXT and WAMC! Sabrina Trueheart will be sharing the stage with us, and it’s a nice seated type of venue which we haven’t done in a while. i’m going to be test driving some of the new songs i mentioned earlier which is also something i don’t normally do.

Get tickets here, they’re cheaper ahead of time!

part 3, in which i yap endlessly

I recently had the immense pleasure of joining Andy Scullin on his podcast Unsigned518. i admit i still don’t really fully understand why people allow me to just blab on their shows but hey! i’m not complaining! it was a joy to get to dive into some things that i don’t usually get a chance to talk about, namely my stance on music theory for children (spoiler: i think we need more of it). check it out, and if you’re based around the capital region, give them a follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

and just a couple more parting thoughts

i don’t know how much i can really add to the conversation beyond what has been said many times and much more eloquently than what i can contribute, but i can’t not mention the election. Trump being elected totally fcking sucks, like this really blows, but we will not let despair win. all we can do is continue taking care of each other and trying to be good in our interpersonal relationships, continue to question the status quo and be critical of those with power over others. this comes as no surprise to anyone who has been paying any attention to the reality of life in the united states, or anyone who is honest about the history of this genocidal empire. it was bound to happen at some point. it’s scary and alarming and things are going to get real dicey, so find a way to make life better for people around you, and resist the urge to be a martyr or self-flagellate or blame your neighbors. marx was right, that’s all. and protect your trans friends.

okay that’s all i got for now, i love you bye !

so maybe you’ve heard by now, but we got a whole freaking album coming out. Subject To Change – nine songs, a little over thirty minutes, just like god intended. It would mean a lot to me if you took a moment to pre-save it to your Spotify: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/thebellecurves/subject-to-change & you can also preorder it here on bandcamp but honestly i dont really know what that means because i havent made CDs yet sooo idk if you want to do that then cool thank you!! i think it means you’re buying the digital copy ahead of the release, which is nice cause then i can invest in some more marketing efforts or send Joe Leone some more gas money next time (the keyboard player who lives in Scranton).

Subject To Change has little bit of everything: sassy power pop, melancholy folk ballads, key changes, thematic through-lines, glockenspiel, you name it.

shows

we had a lot of fun in huntington a couple weeks ago despite the sketchy weather. Allie Sandt and Sarah Gross are such a joy to share the stage with, and it was a real Second Hand Twang hang (Second Hand Twang is what we’ve been calling our budding collective of musicians who play with The Belle Curves, Sarah, and Pete Mancini, plus various off-shoots and other projects). Allie and Sarah both recently put out music and I strongly suggest checking it out if you haven’t already.

August 22nd on WEXT ok it’s not a show actually it’s a radio session i did recently with my friend Chris Wienk, and the first airing is this Thursday around 9:30pm. 97.7 and 106.1 FM for capital district folks, wextradio.org and smart speakers for everyone else

August 24th in Troy i’ll be doing the solo/electric thing before hopping on bass with my friends in Goatroper. they’re doing this thing where they’re moving from Minneapolis to NYC and touring simultaneously, which is actually not the first time I’ve known someone to do this. The first real long-term tour I went on was two weeks with Leland Sundries and front man Nick was moving from NYC to Memphis. why??? anywayyy i’m excited to have Mike and Abbi in Troy and we’ll be at 518 Craft in Downtown Troy starting at 7pm, come hang

August 30th in NYC is going to be another real fun one, similar Second Hand Twang crossover lineups between The Belle Curves being full band alongside Pete Mancini. We’ll be joined by a friend of mine who I’ve been connected to on Instagram for quite some time – Kira Metcalf. i’m very literally obsessed with her cover of Wuthering Heights. Tickets for Parkside Lounge here.

September 7th in Troy I’ll be solo at the farmer’s market noon til 2pm, bring me a lil treat and say hello

September 8th in Troy is our listening party!!! my friend Stella and I have been friends for ten years as of this fall (we met at college orientation and become roommates for our whole time at Purchase) and we both have new records to put out and we both love Troy so we thought it would be so perfect and delightful to have a dual listening party to celebrate all of that!!! Starting at 5pm at Yesfolk Tonics. cool ass poster by Lexie Frisbie :))))

September 26th in Sag Harbor we’re back at the Sag Harbor American Music Festival babyyy stoked to come back, we’ll be at Kidd Squid starting at 8pm. so much cool, free, original music comes to Sag Harbor that weekend and they still manage to pay all the bands real money. they’re doing something cool out there and it’s worth supporting if you’re anywhere near the east end and care about real music.

booking shows is really hard for me right now but i’m trying to press forward and not get the scaries about it because when i’m actually playing, on stage, i feel deeply and truly that it’s worth all the logistics and planning that go into it. i wish i could bottle that feeling and take a little hit when i get so daunted by the idea of booking real shows. even rehearsing isn’t an issue, i love rehearsing too. it’s the driving, the emails, the coordination. but we press on for the songs.

okay that’s it love you bye 🙂 ❤