Orange County ska-pop-punks Half Past Two have a new single called “Heart of Gold” officially coming out tomorrow (pre-save), but it premieres one day early right here. It was co-written and produced by We Are The Union’s Reade Wolcott, and you can definitely feel both Reade and HP2’s fingerprints on it; it sounds like a cross between what both do best. Here’s what singer Tara Hahn says about the song, and about working with Reade:
While I am an extrovert, I still have a lot of social anxiety and grew up a total people-pleaser. I always focus on if I made the right impression, if I said too much or enough, or do people like me? I wrote “Heart of Gold” about staying up at night haunted by interactions from my day, a torturous pastime of mine. I am my worst enemy and harshest critic, like I will obsess over every word or text or movement until I feel completely miserable and anxious. “Heart of Gold” is a reminder that even if a conversation I have isn’t perfect, I begin with genuine good intention, my heart is in the right place, and hopefully others can see that.
Creating new music with Reade has made me step out of my comfort zone in a huge way because I’m a dorky fan of We Are the Union and I lack confidence in my ability to write music. Reade is kind and patient and has given me a lot of space to share my thoughts and ideas, but working with someone you look up to is really intimidating! Sometimes I’ll come into a writing session with lyrics and immediately she’s like, “I love it,” and it’s so validating. And sometimes she’ll say, “There’s something here, let’s work on it,” which I used to fear, but I’ve learned so much from her insights and experience, and we have a lot of fun!
Reade adds:
Working with Half Past Two has been so amazing. As a producer, I think it’s important to challenge an artist’s “safety blanket” choices, and push to dig deeper. To achieve this, we started from the ground up, building each element together piece by piece. I’m so inspired by everyone in this band, their willingness to take that vulnerable journey, and the beautiful ideas they brought out of it. “Heart of Gold” is a fantastically catchy and meaningful song where every member of Half Past Two is firing on all cylinders.
The song comes with a visualizer created by Rae Mystic and Tara Hahn, and you can check that out below. HP2 also have upcoming shows, including San Diego with J. Navarro and the Traitors and Stop the Presses, LA with We Are The Union, Bad Operation, and Suzie True, a short Midwest run with Mustard Plug and The Toasters, and more. All dates are listed below.
Half Past Two — 2023 Tour Dates
June 16th – San Diego, CA – Soda Bar with J. Navarro and the Traitors and Stop the Presses
June 17th – Mesa, AZ – The Nile Underground with Stop the Presses, Bowcat, and Without a Doubt
September 1st – Los Angeles, CA – Knitting Factory with We Are the Union, Bad Operation, and Suzie True
September 7th – Chicago, IL – Reggie’s with Mustard Plug and The Toasters
September 8th – Ferndale, MI – The Magic Bag with Mustard Plug and The Toasters
September 9th – Grand Rapids, MI – Pyramid Scheme with Mustard Plug and The Toasters
September 10th – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop with Mustard Plug and The Toasters