Hayden Everett remembers "Kennecott" with his latest alt-folk offering

Taking his storytelling to new levels, the singer/songwriter and producer steps into the shoes of a miner from the ill-fated town. A plea to respect the natural environment rather than exploit it, Everett's music has long been inspired by the beauty of open spaces.

Finding a new admiration for all of this through his time as a camp councillor just outside of Yosemite National Park, he explains the profound impact a night-time hike had on his outlook. "We’d lie down, far from the world but closer to it than ever," remembering looking up at the Milky Way, he adds "in this moment I feel alive, and more aware of how precious that is... I strive to make songs that sound like how those nights felt."

"Kennecott" is a sweeping statement of caution as the world continues to struggle through the climate emergency. The follow up to his 2019 self-titled debut EP and last year's standalone single "Fast Love", it's a cry for help. The metaphor of "Kennecott" can and should be extended to wider contexts.

Musically, it reflects Everett's classical training and with many corners of influence reflecting his deviation from traditional structures. Translating the urgency of environmentalism with his contrasting melodic softness, Everett notes "I hope my music is a worthy soundtrack to your drives through the mountains, your days home alone, your celebrations, and your times of sadness."

Now designated a historic landmark, Kennecott thrived over the course of a few decades in the 1900s, but ultimately the great depression hit, copper prices crashed and the settlement became a ghost town. Inspired by the photography and journal entries of local nurse Ethel LeCount, Everett pieced together the track's narrative which calls for us all to be stewards and protective of landscapes like those surrounding Kennecott.