Shaina Hayes - “Sun and Time”

SXSW 2024 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 5

Pairs Well With…Jess Williamson, Courtney Marie Andrews, Erin Rae

Based in lush alt country, Shaina Hayes’s 2024 record Kindergarten Heart is a beautiful listen, grounded in classic folk and performed with modern softness. The whole of the record is very low key, instrumentation toned down to match Hayes’s naturally warm vocals. Her tone is in between traditional country and bedroom folk, raw in the pretty and authentic ways. There are some measured excursions on Kindergarten Heart around mid-tempo pop/rock modes, it’s the quietest moments that impact the most. Those tracks, like singles “Sun and Time” and “New Favorite” embrace space as an emotional catalyst, making crying melodies stand out front. With three showcases lined up for SXSW, Shaina Hayes is hitting the ground hard in Austin where her sound should go over like words from an old friend. (Kevin McStravick)