Kevin Krauter: “Green Eyes”
+ North American Tour Announcement
Full Hand Out February 28th On Bayonet Records
Photo by: Hana Mendel
Indiana-based songwriter Kevin Krauter releases “Green Eyes,” the second single from Full Hand, his forthcoming album out February 28th on Bayonet Records, and announces a North American tour. Following the “bright and balmy” (Stereogum) lead single “Surprise,” “Green Eyes” is mellow and synth-heavy. “The lyrics for this song loosely represent a difficult but inevitable situation in my life toward which I held on to a lot of guilt and confusion for a long time,” says Krauter. “I was dealing with the question of how much of myself I still owe to it and how to find compassion for myself even when the thought of closure seems unlikely.”
Following his 2018 debut Toss Up, a quiet album that was built on intricate guitar riffs that looped back on themselves to create a feeling of sunlit calm, Full Hand dives further into the world he’s created. The songs are evocative of late afternoon light, or dust settling on a creaky floorboard, but with lyrics that probe Krauter’s personal life, grappling with sexuality and religion, while exploring what it means to grow up, grow more critical, and, in turn, more self-confident.
Across 12 tracks, Krauter tackles these emotional states and ideas through elliptical songwriting that is at once poetic and truthful. It’s not especially uncommon for artists to probe deep into their own psyche to uncover what makes them tic, but Krauter’s light touch feels like something all his own. There’s a palpable sense of joy in Krauter’s acceptance of dire, stressful moments, and a liberation that comes from hearing him realize that the present will eventually be the past, and he’ll be able to look back and find peace.
This sense of acceptance is the backbone of Full Hand, both musically and lyrically. Krautertook stock of the different phases of his life — what he was listening to, how he felt when hewas a teenager — and welcomed all of it into his music. This meant that nothing was off-limits. All influences were fair game — from early-’00s emo to late ’90s radio rock — and his entire history, instead of becoming something to be ignored or pushed aside, became part of the patchwork of his music. “It’s nice to recognize that the instinct is there in me and all I have to do is say yes or no.”
Watch the Video for “Surprise” -
Pre-order Full Hand:
Kevin Krauter Tour Dates:
Mon. March 16 - Fri. March 20 - Austin, TX @ SXSW
Sat. March 21 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
Thu. April 2 - Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
Fri. April 3 - Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
Sat. April 4 - Columbus, OH @ Big Room Bar
Sun. April 5 - Cleveland, OH @ Now That’s Class
Fri. April 10 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas
Sat. April 11 - Madison, WI @ Der Rathskellar at U of W
Mon. April 13 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
Thu. April 23 - Detroit, MI @ Sanctuary %
Fri. April 24 - Toronto, CA @ Baby G %
Sat. April 25 - Montreal, CA @ Brasserie %
Mon. April 27 - Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade
Tue. April 28 - Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle %
Wed. April 29 - Washington, DC @ Pie Shop %
Thu. April 30 - Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall %
Fri. May 1 - Durham, NC @ Cat’s Cradle (Back Room) %
Sat. May 2 - Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn %
Sun. May 3 - Nashville, TN @ DRKMTTR %
%= w/ Why Bonnie