Portland psychedelic indie-pop outfit Wooden Overcoat unveils “I Knew You Would” with its Garage-meets-Grunge sound, complete with a haunted vocal harmony you didn’t know you needed. The video was created by Italian multi-arts visionary Francesca Bonci, well known for her work with The Dandy Warhols, Tombstones In Their Eyes, Federale (The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Collin Hegna), Pete International Airport, and Slowdive‘s Rachel Goswell.
Watch the official video for “I Knew You Would” via the YouTube player below:
Wooden Overcoat‘s recently released debut “Hello Sunbeam” EP is a sweet spot where lo-fi Garage Psych meets 90s Shoegaze, anchored by layered harmonies and an evocatively intimate vocal delivery. Exploring vivid, emotionally resonant themes, this vibrant four-track collection presents a fantastic dreamlike environment for lovers of life.
The sonic brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Brant Hajek, Wooden Overcoat took its name from an old Americana euphemism for a coffin. Hajek’s creative process is personal, having returned to music after a hiatus. What started as a practice in self-production transformed into a deep creative obsession with soundscapes and gear. Recording in a rented basement, Hajek crafted this EP through spontaneous experimentation, propelled forward by sudden bursts of inspiration.
“The lyrics to ‘I Knew You Would’ are more about transcribing emotional impact than saying something meaningful. I wrote it when I was feeling a lot of grief, very uneasy, and it’s about the isolation you can feel going through bouts of depression, even when you have someone very close to you. Thinking about it in hindsight, I feel like I was writing about myself, hurling accusations for not being better, or finding the ability to improve things about myself or the way I was handling stress and grief,” says Brant Hajek.
“Recording this EP almost ruined my life, and I hope it sounds like it. Each song is its own little world, in which I lost myself. With childlike wonder, exploring concepts and sounds, I was inspired to make something new each time just to keep the wheel turning. I loved the feeling of momentum, knowing I was creating something out of thin air and maybe grabbing ahold of something slippery and evasive..“
Hajek’s creative process is a deeply personal, layered journey towards the spark that turns an emotionally restless melodies into finished pieces. While he himself performed every instrument on thise EP, Wooden Overcoat is now a full band, bringing these tunes to the stage. With Hajek on guitar and lead vocals, he is joined by bassist Dillon Glusker, guitarist Mac and drummer Brian Levin.
Earlier, Wooden Overcoat released the shimmering lead track “Home” — a reverb-drenched sanctuary, blending in sun-drenched textures and a wash of tape echo and reverb, and “Finally Arrived” with its viscous guitars, slow thudding drums, rhythmic trance-like pulse and dreamy soundscape. Between mourning and romantic friction, it examines the delicate nature of human connection and tendency to view individuals as replaceable assets. “Heaven Right Now” is a reverb-soaked Psych-Rock track about hidden emotional fractures, shared suffering, and how people quietly break under pressure.
“This EP was written at a dark time in my life. My mother was diagnosed with cancer, the world was flipped on its head and never really recovered, political turmoil and conflicts overseas dominated the collective conscious, and it profoundly affected me. My relationship was suffering from cumulative stress and I can now see how it came through in what I created. Themes of beauty that doesn’t last, self-sabotage, dissociation, cynicism, and desire for connection but feeling removed from it,” says Hajek.
The “Hello Sunbeam” EP is out now, available on digital platforms everywhere.
Tracklist:
01. Home
02. Finally Arrived
03. Heaven Right Now
04. I Knew You Would
Credits
Written, recorded, mixed and mastered by Brant Hajek
Performed by Brant Hajek
Recorded in a house in Portland, Oregon
Only humans made this art
Cover art + photo by Brant Hajek
Band photos by Brett Chauncey
Videos by Francesca Bonci
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
Read our Editorial about Francesca Bonci‘s visual works: Francesca Bonci: The Alchemy of Sound and Vision in Contemporary Visual Art