Pop punk's most lovable liability, Ray Hawthorne, is back with his latest single, "I Tried", trading in his usual chaos to step into a confessional for a moment. A bruising, yet beautiful ballad, "I Tried" tackles the particular weight of being deep in addiction and deciding that trying, even poorly, was the only thing left to offer. Listen to the new single, "I Tried", Below.
Serving as the sixth single of his latest era, "I Tried" encapsulates Ray Hawthorne's journey prior to sobriety. Now proudly nine years sober, Ray Hawthorne peers back at the moments where survival felt like too much to ask for. Almost as if it was a scar that is shown off by someone who made it out, "I Tried" is proof that all stories have a next chapter after all.
Rather than address the emotional weight of his most vulnerable work to date, Ray Hawthorne chose to discuss why the current state of the entertainment industry should inspire you to listen to his latest single:
"Nick Cage is Spider-Man. YouTubers are making hit Hollywood movies. A Lego store is somehow the most exciting thing in the news cycle. Also Beartooth exists. And here I am trying to make you care about my song. How, in this climate, can I even compete? Well I think I’ve got something.
Remember in Beauty and the Beast when Belle is rolling around singing about books? She’s like “It’s my favorite. Far off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise!” What if I told you that “I Tried” also has all those things. The far off places are places secret drug deal locations. The sword fights are my internal struggle to stop. The magic spells are drugs. I wasn’t able to figure out how to connect the prince in disguise part so I’ll leave that up to you. I tried though. How’s that? I bet you’ve never heard someone link their stories of almost dying as a drug addict to Beauty and the Beast. Good thing Disney never sues anybody. I bet that makes you want to listen. Go ahead. I won’t stop you.”
Renowned for his work in North Kingsley, the acclaimed project alongside Shavo Odadjian of System of a Down, Hawthorne initially captured hearts as the Heartbreak Hero with his inaugural solo release "Heartbreak Feels Good in a Place Like This". Building on his solo work, his debut record "Ray Hawthorne Sucks" further cemented his status as a bold new voice in pop punk, quickly amassing a devoted following and over 20 million streams across all streaming platforms for his magnetic charm and razor-sharp wit.
Blending heartbreak, sarcasm, and just the right amount of emotional stability, Ray Hawthorne leads with a messy kind of hope, turning emotional freefall into something you can scream along to. Where debut album and his firstborn, "Ray Hawthorne Sucks", leaned into an earnest DIY vulnerability, his latest record, "Ray Hawthorne Isn't Real", took a turn and tapped into the restless defiance of a secondborn. The 15 tracks helped embrace the chaos, laugh at the pain, and maybe, just maybe, allow us all to find a little redemption along the way.
Starting from the very real possibility that Ray Hawthorne is just a guy screaming into the ether (and somehow making it sound catchy), his catalog has become a refuge for anyone who's ever felt too loud, too sensitive, or too much. Loud, petty, and deeply cathartic, Ray Hawthorne is proudly one of the most unapologetically honest voices modern pop-punk.
Be sure to stay tuned for more Ray Hawthorne news coming very soon.
ABOUT RAY HAWTHORNE
Do you remember that episode of Degrassi where Ashley really wants Craig to tell her he loves her, but Craig gets all panicked and can’t tell her that he does? It causes so much drama in their relationship. She begins to question her feelings for him and because of that, he becomes seemingly unsure of his feelings for her. So, in an effort to quell the bad vibes, Craig writes a song that includes lyrics IMPLICITLY AND EXPLICITLY stating that he loves her. (Total banger by the way, the only song of his I like better is the one he sings at the battle of the bands after the two inevitably break up, it’s also about Ashley. I believe it’s called ‘What I Know’) Anyway, Craig was only able to admit he loved Ashley in song form, but you as the viewer are left wondering ‘Does he really love her, or was this just his solution to end the drama?’ Or, ’Is this truly the only way he can express himself because he’s kind of nervous about speaking his true feelings outside of the structured environment of a song?’. I tend to believe it’s a mixture of both. So what I’m trying to say is, this collection of songs is kind of like that. I always feel like I have so much to say but often feel a bit too vulnerable when discussing my actual feelings. So for the majority of my life, I’ve just written them into songs instead. These songs can be quite vulnerable even if they seem silly at times. So now you’re left to wonder... am I telling the truth or just trying to get rid of Ashley’s bad vibes?