Hayes Howard’s Album Javelin Goes the Distance

Hayes Howard released one of the most sonically captivating albums of the year thus far. In May 2026, he released his album Javelin. It’s an album that stops you in your tracks and encourages you to not only listen closely, but also reflect on what it means to grow and change. It beautifully captures and explores elements of the human experience through clever lyricism and musical arrangement. Each of the ten tracks grabs the listeners’ attention from the very first listen. Starting with the first song all the way through the last, Hayes is able to skillfully integrate melodies, tones, and vocals in way that resonates with listeners. Each song tells its own story and reflects the overarching themes of the album as a whole. 

Upon first glance, the tracklist may not provide the clearest of hints as to what the album might focus on. Without context, titles like “Doorjamb", "Green Golden,“ and “Jupiter” may not seem to be very closely related. However, upon first listen, it’s very clear that much of the meaning lies within the lyrics themselves. Javelin explores themes of growth, change, rediscovery, and reinvention, among several others. Hayes notes, “The first 5 or 6 songs I wrote for the record came mostly from that place of going back to square one, relearning some old things, and getting back in the race. Those ideas are where the album got its theme, and that theme comes up over and over.” The themes that Hayes highlights throughout Javelin are ones that a wide range of people can resonate with at various stages of their lives. They are also themes that are somewhat reflective of Hayes’s own creative journey.

Javelin started out as a kind of experiment. It was intended to serve as a means by which Hayes could revisit his music creation skills after about two years of not making music while in recording school. The tracks of Javelin present, however, were not the tracks of Javelin past. During the early stages, Hayes planned for Javelin to be an EP. There were fewer songs, and the tracklist was completely different. Throughout the process of creating, he found himself getting more and more excited about creating music again. This excitement gave him some additional momentum, which contributed to the creation of the present iteration of Javelin.

In addition to outlining the creative process for Javelin, Hayes provided insight into some of the events and experiences that led to him becoming the artist that he is today. Originally from a suburb of Houston, Texas, Hayes grew up playing sports and participating in choir. Singing was an interest that he discovered quite early on in his life. He regards his grandfather as the starting point for his family’s passion for music. “My grandad was the Dean of HCU’s School of Music, so he’s always been the one I point to when someone asks where the music came from in our family.” Many of Hayes’s early experiences influenced his initial interest in music and his eventual decision to begin creating music. It was through singing in choir with his brothers that he learned to sing. It was through experimenting in Avid Vocal Studio as kid that he learned about DAWs and basic music engineering. It was through engaging with music from his inspirations that he became increasingly inspired to innovate, blur genre lines, and create in ways that feel authentic to his creative identity.

While Hayes characterizes himself as an indie rock artist, he takes a very fluid, dynamic approach to creating his own sound. Rather than limiting himself to one specific genre approach, he finds ways to incorporate many different elements that align with his overall creative vision for his projects. He says, “I would say that I’m an indie rock artist, and that I also love to borrow from everything else I like too. I think that’s kind of the music world we’re living in right now. I love the way that those lines don’t really exist the way they used to, and that everyone just makes what they like.” Embracing and incorporating versatility, creativity, and adaptability into music creation are hallmarks of Hayes’s creative identity and process.

When asked about his creative inspirations, Hayes references Radiohead, Homeshake, Alex G, Mk.gee, Dijon, Steely Dan, and Prince, all of whom have been incredibly successful at integrating different sounds and blurring genre lines. He places particular emphasis on the role of Frank Ocean’s Blonde, noting how it “showed me so much about the ways you can tell a story, and all the different instruments your voice can be.” Recording-wise, the work of Steely Dan and Prince encourages him to maximize his roles as both an artist and an engineer. Their work also reiterates why he made the decision to go to school for recording. Hayes also gives a shoutout to Derby, another incredibly talented artist with whom Hayes has worked with closely. “I would also say that Derby is making some of the most infectiously heartbreaking and honest stuff I’ve ever heard, and getting to work with him and know his work ethic has been such a big motivation,” he says.

Overall, Hayes is really grateful for the support and encouragement that he has received from the listeners and those close to him. In fact, he notes that getting to share the album with friends and family has been one of the most rewarding experiences that he has had thus far as an artist. “They knew I could get there when I really wasn’t sure, and they knew they’d have to push-start me or I’d still be sitting on my hands.” In terms of what comes next, Hayes is preparing to do some Texas shows and support other artists on tour later this year. He’s also in the midst of an experimentation period, during which he will continue to create and innovate.