BY ALAINA TAYLOR // Hamilton Leithauser will return to his hometown of Washington D.C. as part of an extended tour in support of I Had a Dream That You Were Mine. Leithauser wrote the 2016 album with Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend fame.
I Had a Dream That You Were Mine was Leithauser’s third album post-The Walkmen, the indie-rock band with which he spent most of his career. The Walkmen’s sound was vintage-inspired, ranging from jangly to folk, from wild to atmospheric. Leithauser has brought that vintage sound into his solo work, with his first solo album, Black Hours, sounding similar to his work with The Walkmen. His second solo album was created with Paul Maroon, his bandmate from The Walkmen; however, the album was only released on vinyl, and could only be purchased from Leithauser’s Etsy shop.
On I Had a Dream That You Were Mine, Batmanglij and Leithauser create a sound which captures the essence of music from the late 1950’s to the 1960’s, staying vintage, but with a different angle. The album touches on genres from country to doo-wop, to soul and to rock n’ roll, as opposed to the more vintage pop sound of The Walkmen, or Leithauser’s other solo works. Leithauser’s vocals, with his ability to range from a wild howl to a softer croon, are perfectly suited to take on this range of genres, and the atmosphere of each song is fully fleshed out by Batmanglij’s production skills, as well as his lush instrumentals and backing vocals. The two combine their talents to create a unique and rich atmosphere on each and every track.
Since I Had a Dream That You Were Mine, Leithauser has released two singles, Song with No Name and Heartstruck (Wild Hunger) with Angel Olsen. The singles maintain the vintage vibe of all of Leithauser’s previous works, sticking to the same atmosphere he created on I Had a Dream That You Were Mine.