B i o g r a p h y (by Heather Phares)
As Widowspeak, Molly Hamilton and Robert Earl Thomas combine hazy dream pop, country twang, and indie pop jangle into understated music filled with moods that linger. The group's sound was at its foggiest on 2011's Widowspeak, where Thomas cranked out walls of distortion that cocooned Hamilton's moody murmurs. Over time, however, their music grew more refined and eclectic on albums such as 2015's All Yours, which added sparkle to their songwriting and sound, and on 2017's heavier and more aggressive Expect the Best. With 2020's mellow yet politically minded Plum, the dreamy reflections on creativity and change on 2022's Jacket, and the classic sounds and songcraft of 2026's Roses, Widowspeak found the sweet spot between timeless and relevance. The band's roots go back to Hamilton's time in the Tacoma, Washington music scene, where she and drummer Michael Stasiak contributed songs to a compilation before heading to New York. The pair brought Thomas into the fold in 2010, and later that year the trio used a laptop and GarageBand to craft a six-song cassette dubbed The October Tape. Captured Tracks signed Widowspeak and issued the band's debut single, Harsh Realm, in March 2011. The Gun Shy single, which featured a cover of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game," followed in June. To make their self-titled debut album, Widowspeak recorded with Woods' Jarvis Taveniere. Released in August 2011, Widowspeak won acclaim for its dark, hazy, drawling songs. After Widowspeak finished touring in support of the album, Stasiak departed the band. Now a duo, Hamilton and Thomas began work on their second album in early 2012. Recorded with Kevin McMahon at an old barn in the Hudson River Valley, January 2013's Almanac, highlighted the folky and Fleetwood Mac-like elements of their sound. Late that year, Widowspeak issued the Swamps EP, which they described as a bridge between their previous work and their upcoming material. Shortly after those releases, Hamilton and Thomas relocated to Saugerties, New York and took a break from the grind of recording and touring. As they took jobs and returned to school, they wrote songs at a gradual pace, and reunited with Taveniere to make their third album. Arriving in August 2015, All Yours also featured Woods drummer Aaron Neveu and delved deeper into Almanac's velvety country and classic rock leanings. Following a stint in Tacoma and a return to Brooklyn, Widowspeak recorded at Marcata Recording, contrasting Hamilton's contemplative lyrics with a heavier sound thanks to the presence of touring bassist Willy Muse and drummer James Jano in the studio. Released in August 2017, Expect the Best was a darker set of songs influenced in part by the 2016 presidential election. Not long after the album appeared, Widowspeak covered Neil Young's "Harvest Moon." Once again, Thomas and Hamilton moved to upstate New York and took some time away from the band. During this time, Thomas issued his debut album, 2018's Another Age. When it was time to make Widowspeak's next album, the duo recorded with producer Sam Evian (who also played bass and synth), drummer Andy Weaver, and pianist Michael Hess. Taking inspiration from the principles of wabi-sabi as well as late-stage capitalism, Plum appeared in August 2020. In January 2021, Widowspeak issued the Honeychurch EP, a companion piece to Plum that featured songs written while they were making that album, as well as covers of R.E.M.'s "The One I Love" and Dire Straits' "Romeo and Juliet." Thomas and Hamilton pursued Plum's themes of creativity and worth further on March 2022's Jacket, which began as a concept album about a fictional band and evolved into a looser approach. Recorded after the duo returned to New York City at the Diamond Mine, it featured production by Daptone collaborator Homer Steinweiss and contributions from Hess, bassist J.D. Sumner, and founding drummer Stasiak. For their seventh album, Widowspeak decamped to the Greek island of Hydra in early 2025 with touring members Muse, John Andrews, and Noah Bond joining for the sessions. Arriving in June 2026, Roses leaned into the band's classic rock influences and novelistic lyrics.
Widowspeak
Unwind I left it alone Why're you wound up so tight With cinnamon, sloe Won't look you square in the eyes, I'm weaving Spinning like a tape that's warped But you still hang on to it You're free Now you've come undone from me You're free Now you've come undone from me Unwind it You're loosening up I had to learn to let go All the loose ends You tied them up Neat like a bow, I'm folding Spinning like tape that's warped But you still hang on to it You're free Now you've come undone from me You're free Now you've come undone from me I left it alone Why're you wound up so tight With cinnamon, sloe Won't look you square in the eyes, I'm weaving Unwind it The Drive Haven't they worked hard to deserve nice places And the open road filling in the spaces Always thought that you'd move on, but you never learned how Always thought that you would be in love by now You could never really be What you never really wanted to be You could never really be What you never really wanted to be You never had the drive You never had the drive So you spent the week, the long overdraft When you noticed the first couldn't open the last But you know what it said, you were afraid to look You should have known better, should have had what they took You could never really be What you never really wanted to be You could never really be What you never really wanted to be You never had the drive You never had the drive You never had the drive You never had the drive Slow Dance Slow dance in the spotlight Just quarter of midnight, you checked the time All of those adoring eyes On you The dance ends And you go home to sleep The moment was never yours to keep When you wake, the feeling will be gone The world has moved on But you know you were loved Let that be enough Let that be enough Ride off into the sunset Find it out If you haven't yet Words are going to fail you But good love never will Later on when you're falling asleep As ready as you're ever gonna be For the last time, dreaming of that night Dancing in the light of their eyes Let that be enough Let that be enough Slow dance in the spotlight Just quarter of midnight, you checked the time All of those adoring eyes On you Forget It Was it yours if you needed to share I was dreaming of the ground from the air Needed proof we were turning around Came in for a landing, put the wheels down I know your face better than my own I knew it when we were talking close Heard them, in low voices And I took off away from the noise It's lonely always looking down Will you miss me when I'm not around It's too easy to misunderstand So I'll take off, and I'll come in to land Forget it You know I want to Forget it You know I want to We said the same thing, a few days apart I drove the same old road in a rental car House of dust and silverfishes Remember me in the glow of the kitchen Forget it You know I want to Forget it You know I want to Was it yours if you needed to share I was dreaming of the ground from the air Needed proof we were turning around Came in for a landing, put the wheels down Sleeper I could get dressed up and tell you at your worst Someone better suited will only get there first You used to know how to turn salt into honey Sure, I'll let you tell it, go on and make your money So I'll turn off the highway at my exit And I'm still singing Yellow Rose of Texas And my street still looks the same In six months, I won't hear your name Once I was a curled snake, a sleeper, asleep Belly in the dust, never playing to keep And in the end, you weren't so dead wrong And anyway, it made for a good song How can I help you What do you need How can I help you What do you need How can I help you How can I help you How can I help you What do you need Roses The Hook Pressed all your carnations In a black book Taped our song off the college station That was all it took I was pulled in by the hook Pulled in by the hook I got pieces of paper What's left of young love Didn't get a letter Just postcards and ticket stubs To remember the one I was thinking of The one I was thinking of Maybe some things aren't worth saving And you know I do But I'll never light a candle For the dream of you I'm not holding a flame for you But I'll keep every little thing that still reminds me of you Well, you felt like a present I wanted to be given more Opened up to wanting you Ribbons in a pile on the floor That's what young love is for That's what young love is for Maybe some things aren't worth saving And you know I do But I'd never light a candle For the dream of you I'm not holding a flame for you I'm not holding a flame for you But I'd keep every little thing that still reminds me of you No Driver Used to be you'd come alive when the day was done Like some old magic, as if there's ever some Some spirit driving your body and your bones Guiding you all night and all the way back home Baby, I can be In your car, in idle on your street You tell me I'm ready when you want to leave Baby, I can be Waiting by the exit, right outside I know you tried Riding out the years without a driver You still believe you know the road by heart But all things rust and all things rattle apart No lemon, nobody knows As long as it starts, mmm... I'm taking you home Baby, I can be In your car, in idle on your street You tell me I'm ready when you want to leave Baby, I can be Waiting by the exit, right outside I know you tried Riding out the years without a driver You still believe you know the road by heart But all things rust and all things rattle apart Roses You said, "Nothing lasts forever" I can't argue with that Easy to claim when you're a cynic And all you offer is a hand Not all thorns will prick you You still feel the first And now you don't grow roses 'Cause the one still hurts I wanna be the one I wanna be the one Maybe there's no great love I'm looking out for In the vast spoils of everything I've got nothing much to offer But I feel richer than a king Not all thorns will prick you You still feel the first And now you don't grow roses Because the one still hurts I wanna be the one I wanna be the one I wanna be the one I wanna be the one I wanna be the one I wanna be the one I wanna be the one If You Change No you won't remember You want a fresh start Got corrections to make And editions to tear apart But I'd take every mistake In your paper heart If you change, don't change too much Keep it nice but don't leave the plastic on If you change, don't change too much 'Cause I really loved this one Don't want mint condition You're gonna get dragged in the dirt You'll get faded and worn in Soft as an old tee shirt Nothing is pure, can't stay as you were But I hope it doesn't hurt If you change, don't change too much Keep it nice but don't leave the plastic on If you change, don't change too much 'Cause I really loved this one Might look like perfection Kept your tags on, in a shell Bending at the edges No one but me could ever tell If you change, don't change too much Keep it nice but don't leave the plastic on If you change, don't change too much Cause I really loved this one If you change, don't change too much Keep it nice but don't leave the plastic on If you change, don't change too much Cause I really loved this one Wondering Working at the diner Practice talking like people talk to me Pour the water and watch them drink it Make them happy if they can be Baby, it's a ritual Sweet something I wanna be your good company You'll never leave the table wondering Aren't they lonesome for something long gone Aren't I lonesome for it too In a leather booth, with a red glass candle Share a plate and slide closer to you Baby, it's a ritual A sweet something I wanna be your good company You'll never leave the table wondering Baby, it's a ritual A sweet something I wanna be your good company You'll never leave the table wondering You never leave me wondering You never leave me wondering You never leave me wondering Angel Number I've been Honest to God, I've been I've been trying Watch sad movies, but I'm not crying And I'm not crying over you I've been walking around I've been watching the big cloud Kick the can further down the street Keep it far away from me Oh, it's staring me down Like an angel number I see the ghost of you all over town Oh, I thought I was free Thought I lost your hold on me I've been taking my time I've been walking the straight line You're selling the good life, but I'm not buying And I'm not crying over you Oh, it's staring me down Like an angel number I see the ghost of you all over town Oh, forget it, I've tried Like an angel number I see you in the corner of my eye Oh, I thought I was free Thought I lost your hold on me Angel number, 333 Soft Cover I could tell you anything Tell it loose like it's a dream Keep it down and whisper close So you're the only one who knows Drink you in like sweetest tea A tall cold glass that leaves a ring Carry you all over town Like a soft cover I can't put down Still love you like it's all brand new I'm too caught up in you Hold me close like the dancers do I'm too caught up in you I'm in your locket, when it's closed Tells me that I'm your own Carry me all over town Like a soft cover you can't put down Still love you like it's all brand new I'm too caught up in you Hold me close like the dancers do I'm too caught up in you Still love you like it's all brand new I'm too caught up in you Hold me close like the dancers do I'm too caught up in you Heaven Is Waiting On your way I saved a place in line Comes a time You're my lucky number On the screen Big and bright for all to see Gonna take a minute Heaven is waiting Heaven is waiting Waiting around It's a bitter pill I'll swallow it down fast It's a question It's no favor you can ask My will snaps like a twig Some day I'll win big But I never buy a ticket Heaven is waiting Heaven is waiting Heaven is waiting Waiting around Waiting around Waiting around Waiting around Waiting around Waiting around Waiting around Waiting around Waiting around Actor Everyone's an actor on their days off Everybody's smiling in their new headshots And they start to feel like friends in their glossy 8x10s Angels staring down at the restaurant You're still living on my mind But you never pay your rent on time I was cast out of the dream Written out of your scene Waiting for you to feed me the line I know the stars are for show And they burn out slow I'll wait for the gate to come down And the curtain to close Everyone's a child star or a leading man Everyone's a singer in a band And it never felt right Playing against type Baby, I just want to hold your hand I know the stars are for show And they burn out slow I'll wait for the gate to come down And the curtain to close Hourglass Empty, a vase without flowers Too much time, long idle hours Empty, a thousand mile stare A vision of something wasn't there Can't fill the space I had left waiting Like an hourglass, baby, you're sand Can't hold too tight or I'll have nothing Like a candy melts in your hand A sliver, like a moon waning You were the plan, but plans are changing Woke up and the dream was lost Caught a cold on my day off Can't fill the space I had left waiting Like an hourglass, baby, you're sand Can't hold too tight or I'll have nothing Like a candy melts in your hand Melts in your hand
Non Albums Tracks Brass Bed (The Swamps EP) Baby can't we play dead Laying in our brass bed You know I wouldn't ever mind Leaving all that behind We've got a good life I leave my shoes outside They'd track the soil in I'm feeling sad again Baby can't we play dead Laying in our brass bed Find me underneath the linen Trying hard to get forgiven
Burn Out It's early I'm wide awake Brown paper drapes Can't hide the heat I'm tired out, I'm dying Lazy, we're wilting With no A/C It can wait Everything else can wait We sleep in We sleep in late Not early, no We're both awake It's after five We missed the day I miss the way We used to sleep With no sheets And no A/C It can wait Everything else can wait We sleep in We sleep in late It can wait
Calico (The Swamps EP) The house was a good one Though the yard was overgrown And your shirts were all tailored And my dresses were all calico Orange and white always covered The black pants you wore to work It was part of the pattern And it fit just like your shirts Calico, calico, calico, calico Calico, calico, calico, calico We never used the spare room I never sang in front of you And through the thin walls We'd hear our neighbors argue Put up curtains To shut out the light I never let you Have one last night Calico, calico, calico, calico Calico, calico, calico, calico Calico, calico, calico, calico Calico, calico, calico, calico The house was a good one Though the yard was overgrown Your shirts were all tailored My dresses were all calico
Harvest Moon (Neil Young) Come a little bit closer Hear what I have to say Just like children sleeping We could dream this night away But there's a full moon rising Let's go dancing in the light We know where the music's playing Let's go out and feel the night Because I'm still in love with you I want to see you dance again Because I'm still in love with you On this harvest moon When we were strangers I watched you from afar When we were lovers I loved you with all my heart But now it's getting late And the moon is climbing high I want to celebrate See it shining in your eye Because I'm still in love with you I want to see you dance again Because I'm still in love with you On this harvest moon Because I'm still in love with you I want to see you dance again Because I'm still in love with you On this harvest moon
How's It Going To Be (Third Eye Blind / Two Covers EP) I'm only pretty sure That I can't take anymore Before you take a swing I wonder what are we fighting for When I say out loud "I want to get out of this" I wonder is there anything I'm gonna miss I wonder how it's going to be When you don't know me How's it going to be When you're sure I'm not there How's it going to be When there's no one there to talk to Between you and me 'Cause I don't care How's it going to be How's it going to be Where we used to laugh There's a shouting match Sharp as a thumbnail scratch A silence I can't ignore Like the hammock by the doorway We spent time in, swings empty Don't see lightning like last fall When it was always about to hit me I wonder how's it going to be When it goes down How's it going to be When you're not around How's it going to be When you found out there was nothing Between you and me 'Cause I don't care How's it going to be How's it going to be When you don't know me anymore How's it going to be Want to get myself back in again The soft dive of oblivion I want to taste the salt of your skin The soft dive of oblivion Oblivion How's it going to be When you don't know me anymore How's it going to be How's it going to be How's it going to be
Money (Hymn) (Honeychurch EP) Will you get back what you put in You can't go and start over again To earn your living, it's worth forsaking All is forgiven and free for the taking Money doesn't grow on trees Money You'll be true to some part of yourself A person buys and a person sells It's only a sound investment, you're trying to survive Anything you imagine can happen, what a time to be alive Money doesn't grow on trees Money doesn't grow on trees Tune out platitudes like these Money doesn't grow on trees Money doesn't grow on trees Money doesn't grow on trees Tune out platitudes like these Money doesn't grow on trees Tune out platitudes like these Money doesn't grow on trees
Romeo And Juliet (Dire Straits / Honeychurch EP) A lovestruck Romeo sings the streets a serenade Laying everybody low with a love song that he made Finds a streetlight, steps out of the shade Says something like "You and me babe: how 'about it" Juliet says, "Hey, it's Romeo. You nearly give me a heart attack." He's underneath the window; she's singing, "Hey, la, my boyfriend's back. You shouldn't come around here singing up at people like that. Anyway, what you gonna do about it" Juliet, the dice was loaded from the start And I bet, then you exploded in my heart And I forget, I forget the movie song When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet Come up on different streets, they both were streets of shame Both dirty, both mean, yes, and the dream was just the same And I dreamed your dream for you and now your dream is real How can you look at me as if I was just another one of your deals When you can fall for chains of silver you can fall for chains of gold You can fall for pretty strangers and the promises they hold You promised me everything, you promised me thick and thin, yeah. Now you just say, "Oh, Romeo, yeah. You know, I used to have a scene with him." Juliet, when we made love you used to cry You said, "I love you like the stars above, I'll love you 'til I die." There's a place for us, you know the movie song When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet And I can't do the talks like they talk on the TV And I can't do a love song like the way it's meant to be I can't do everything but I'll do anything for you I can't do anything except be in love with you And all I do is miss you and the way we used to be All I do is keep the beat, the bad company All I do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme Juliet, I'd do the stars with you any time Juliet, when we made love you used to cry You said, "I love you like the stars above, I'll love you 'til I die." There's a place for us, you know the movie song When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet And a lovestruck Romeo sings the streets a serenade Laying everybody low with a love song that he made Find a streetlight, steps out of the shade And says something like "You and me babe: how about it" "You and me babe: how about it"
Sanguine (Honeychurch EP) What surprise lies in my blood What is born and what become What holds me back What holds me dear How long will you hold on for When my body keeps the score And it marks you It marks you carried, make it clear I'm this old, I'm the daughter There's a proof but does it hold water Here there's two sandals I let it come in When it boils, when it runs cold When it makes me, it takes its toll In my years In my old age, my unfortunate rage Baby, I'm sad and grim Yeah, I'm sad and grim Sanguine
Smoke And Mirrors (The Swamps EP) Oh, the ways of man I did have red on my hands But I hid them from view I burned my share of sage Closed up the mouth of our cave And tried to keep it all from you It was just smoke and mirrors And when I saw it clearer There was nothing I could do
That's How I Got To Memphis (Tom T. Hall / Two Covers EP) If you love somebody enough You'll follow wherever they go That's how I got to Memphis That's how I got to Memphis If you love somebody enough You'll go where your heart wants to go That's how I got to Memphis That's how I got to Memphis I know if you'd seen him, you'd tell me 'cause you are my friend I've got to find him and find out the trouble he's in If you tell me that he's not here I'll follow the trail of his tears That's how I got to Memphis That's how I got to Memphis He could get mad and he used to say That he'd go back to Memphis someday That's how I got to Memphis That's how I got to Memphis I haven't eaten a bite Or slept for three days and nights That's how I got to Memphis That's how I got to Memphis I've got to find him and tell him that I love him so I'll never rest till I find out why he had to go Thank you for your precious time Forgive me if I start to crying That's how I got to Memphis That's how I got to Memphis That's how I got to Memphis That's how I got to Memphis That's how I got to Memphis That's how I got to Memphis
The One I Love (R.E.M. / Honeychurch EP) This one goes out to the one I love This one goes out to the one I've left behind A simple prop to occupy my time This one goes out to the one I love Fire (she's comin' down on her own now) Fire (she's comin' down on her own) This one goes out to the one I love This one goes out to the one I've left behind A simple prop to occupy my time This one goes out to the one I love Fire (she's comin' down on her own, now) Fire (she's comin' down on her own) This one goes out to the one I love This one goes out to the one I've left behind Another prop has occupied my time This one goes out to the one I love Fire (she's comin' down on her own now) Fire (she's comin' down on her own) Fire (she's comin' down on her own) Fire (she's comin' down on her own)
The Swamps (The Swamps EP) All this lost Lost time Spanish moss On my mind Might be it's Pulling me in Patient like a Good friend Stays 'till the end Reading listings In southern towns Got these plans of Hiding out Teach myself to Slow down And stop running My mouth And running out In the swamps I'd rest I'd think about About it less Or maybe I'd Let it sink in I wanna tell Tell the truth again Again
True Believer (The Swamps EP) While we wait on the stairs While your cares all away We rattle on, hypnotized Wild eyes, and nights so long Speak in tongues, pace the street Race the heat, I feel undone Fall asleep in our clothes I feel it though, something will change Won't you stay a true believer Can't you be my real thing Shake off that devil fever Keep your fever dream With the sun, what we said I'm blushing red but I won't run Spinning heads, smallest hours Broken flowers in flower beds Tangled sheets, tangled hair I know you're there: I felt you breathing Pilgrim lips try your name It feels the same but something will change Won't you stay a true believer Can't you be my real thing Shake off that devil fever Keep your fever dream Won't you stay a true believer Can't you be my real thing Shake off that devil fever Keep your fever dream Won't you stay a true believer Can't you be my real thing Shake off that devil fever Keep your fever dream Wicked Game (Chris Isaak) The world was on fire and no one could save me but you Strange what desire will make foolish people do I never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you Now I don't want to fight anymore No, I don't want to fight anymore With you With you What a wicked game to play To make me feel this way What a wicked thing to do To let me dream of you What a wicked thing to say You've never felt this way What a wicked thing to do To make me dream of you And I don't want to fight anymore No, I don't want to fight anymore With you With you The world was on fire and no one could save me but you Strange what desire will make foolish people do I never dreamed that I'd love somebody like you I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you Now, I don't want to fight anymore No, I don't want to fight anymore With you With you Nobody loves no one