Hardcastle is back! The alternative rock trio have return with “Eyes,” their first single in over two years and the opening shot of a hard-won, fully independent chapter.
Written and produced with the band fully behind the wheel, the track lands as a lean, urgent take on modern alt-rock, built around a riff singer-guitarist Graham Laderman couldn’t shake and a chorus about the jolt of finally feeling something again.
Graham Laderman, Raul “Perro” Murillo, and Aram Behshid make front the group. The band’s story began in Atlanta before taking shape in Nashville, where an earlier lineup landed a support slot on The Band Camino’s sold-out national tour and released early tracks “Mundane” and “Back to You,” each surpassing 5 million streams.
In 2024 they released the EP Circuit, produced by Grammy-winning producer Rob Cavallo, which led to a development deal with EDGEOUT Records. After a year inside that deal, Hardcastle made the decision to walk away and go independent, betting on themselves and their own instincts. “Eyes” is the sound of that bet paying off.
“After spending a year in a development deal, when we got out, the first question was: what’s our move? ‘Eyes’ became the answer. It’s a song about new life and revitalization—this song is Hardcastle’s first step into a beautiful new chapter,” Laderman says in an official press release for the song.
The song came together in two distinct waves. “I remember writing this song last summer; it kind of came together in two parts,” Laderman recalls. “It started as a ballad with the same verses and a different chorus. Then, some time went by and that guitar riff that starts the song hit me. I sort of morphed the ideas and it became this upbeat song that we all loved playing.”
For Hardcastle, “Eyes” is as much a statement about process as it is about the song itself. “One of our favorite things about this song is how it graduated from demo to fully fledged production,” Laderman says. “Taking ownership and finishing this song ourselves is a big step for us. Hearing everyone speak up on their instincts, trying everything, and coming out the other side with something that feels larger than ourselves is really rewarding.”
With “Eyes” today, Hardcastle are already building momentum with Los Angeles shows and writing the next batch of new music. Consider this the first step in a bigger run: more tracks, more shows, and more moments to come.
XO Diva D 