Listen Up! Keyan Keihani – “Highway” [PREMIER]

Keyan Keihani

With a vocal quality somewhere between Sufjan Stevens’ boyish yearn and Don Henley’s road-worn soul Keyan Keihani makes damn certain you feel every ounce of loneliness and pining want in achingly gorgeous “Highway.”

This level of song craft can only be achieved from someone that has paid some dues. Keihani’s self-financed debut album, ‘Eastbound’, was released in 2013. He sued that cache of songs to snag opening spots for the likes of Sturgill Simpson, Jamestown Revival and Jason Eady, to name a few. It peaked at #6 on Amazon’s Americana charts.

Keihani’s sophomore release, “Dark Saints” is produced and engineered by Daniel Mendez (Dashboard Confessional, Train, Noah Gundersen) the songs this time around are unadorned and emotionally raw.

About the album Keihani says:

“Dark Saints” was originally recorded in 2014 as a full length by the same producer/engineer who worked on the debut album, “Eastbound.” After a series of setbacks and creative differences, the project was scrapped and all the tracking was abandoned. Keihani descended into a haze severe personal issues, causing him to be reclusive for months. He emerged with a different set of songs and a more somber theme which reflected his personal distress. With a bit more confidence and a desire to highlight the brute honesty of the songs, Keihani connected with Daniel Mendez – who previously worked with artists such as Heart, Duran Duran and Dashboard Confessional. They set out to make something with fewer frills; a record that was more of a confessional that exposed a different side. It was recorded in Brooklyn, NYC in June 2015 at Mendez’s studio, Head Above Water Studios.

The single, Highway, takes a stern look at a blatantly lopsided and broken relationship. The fight has been lost, apathy has set in and the separation (geographic and emotional) has been accepted with a strange calm. “She finally took the red-eye to the Southern shores, just like she said she would. And I won’t come around through the Alabama pines, to lay you on the ground, making right from what went wrong.” Although it forecasts his own situation, the song was largely inspired by his parents calling their marriage over after 38 years at the same time. The main theme is: let’s face it – this is over, it’s obvious and I’m tired of trying. We can’t make right from what went wrong.

The other songs are filled with a similar confrontational nature and potent messages. Some tackle the feeling that he’ll be selfish for the rest of his life, while others show his lack of interest in being held accountable for his actions that impact others.

“Dark Saints” is going to be released independently on October 20th, 2015. Keihani has a series of shows in San Francisco and a run of dates in the Northwest to support the release.

Official site.

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