“I feel like these are the best songs I’ve written to date,” says Hause of his solo debut. “I really had an incredible time making the record with the Empty Bottles Band (Hause’s group of friends and backing band), so it’ll be really fun to get that effort into people’s hands.” Hause, who cut his teeth in the punk world as a member of Paint It Black and vocalist/guitarist of The Loved Ones, has recorded a rock album with no genre restrictions and limitations that draws from singer/songwriters such as Jenny Lewis and Conor Oberst. While writing the last two Loved Ones releases (2008’s Build & Burn and 2009’s Distractions), Hause recalls “the songs I was writing at the time didn’t really fit [The Loved Ones style] and seemed to be pulling in a different direction, so I figured I would see that through. When songs happen quickly and easily you just kind of have to ride the wave, and before I knew it I had a record’s worth of good tunes that don’t fully fit the Loved Ones paradigm. I think fans of my songwriting will definitely get what’s going on and will be happy to hear it.”

Recorded, produced, engineered and mixed by Pete Steinkopf (of The Bouncing Souls), Hause and the Empty Bottles Band recorded drums, bass, mandolin, pedal steel and some guitars at Brian McTernan’s Salad Days studio in Baltimore, while the remaining guitars, organ, keyboard and percussion were recorded at Little Eden Studios in Asbury Park, NJ. While fans have lived with acoustic, stripped down demo versions of his solo material for over a year, Hause affirms “the versions on the album are the full deal, the way the song is supposed to sound all fleshed out, like it was in my head originally.” Cuts such as the uplifting “C’mon Kid” and the somber “Melanin” take on a new life with the help of Hause’s backing band, while fan favorite “Pray For Tucson” is still an acoustic number made even more beautiful with the assistance of a pedal steel guitar.

Since Hause started playing solo shows in 2009, he has shared the stage with a variety of artists such as Bob Mould, AFI, Brian Fallon (Gaslight Anthem), Matt Skiba (Alkaline Trio), Frank Turner, Tim Barry (Avail), Jim Ward (At The Drive-In, Sparta) and Chuck Ragan. Only days after returning from a tour of New Zealand and Australia supporting Hot Water Music and The Bouncing Souls, Hause has announced a UK tour with Franz Nicolay (The Hold Steady) and Jack Terricloth (World Inferno Friendship Society).