Living Hour – “Waiter”
Americana Highways brings you this premiere of Living Hour’s song “Waiter” from their forthcoming album Internal Drone Infinity. Internal Drone Infinity was produced, engineered and mixed by Jay Som (boygenius). Greg Obis mastered the album at Chicago Mastering Services.
As the band says of the experience: “Jay Som came to Winnipeg to record with us for 2 weeks in November 2023. She engineered, produced, and mixed the album. We did 12-14 hours marathon studio days, it was a wild and very fun recording experience.”
Musicians on “Waiter” are Sam Sarty on vocals, songwritings, Gil Carroll on guitars; Adam Soloway on guitars and vocals; Brett Ticzon on bass and keyboards; and Isaac Tate on drums.
Americana Highways had a brief chat with Sam Sarty about the song and the album. The premiere appears just beneath the interview.
Americana Highways: “Waiter” captures a powerful mix of vulnerability and resilience. Can you talk more about how the theme of waiting shaped and inspired the song, and how it ties into the broader narrative or emotional arc of Internal Drone Infinity?
Sam Sarty: I often feel like I’m waiting for something or someone, a wait-er. big chunks of time. like before a movie starts, the walk from the parking lot to the building, hair to grow after its cut. Often I joke with myself about the idea of being addicted to yearning- it’s a deep squirming that lives in a lot of seasons, transitions, nostalgia everyday.. something that’s held somewhere but can’t always be placed with a name or action— I tried to nod my head at that yearning in this song.
AH: The album title Internal Drone Infinity is intriguing—where did that phrase come from, and what does it mean to you in the context of the record?
SS: Internal Drone Infinity has its own little worlds in each song, but mostly the record looks at that sometimes excessive, ever-present bodymind buzz that never goes away cause you’re living and looking out at everything and it’s looking back at you etc. it’s forever, and it’s with you, wherever you are, droning on, so might as well take a peek or travel alongside. Also airplanes, movie theatres (working at one and attending them) specs of garbage and light are huge for this one.
AH: This record explores the quiet magic in everyday life—what does that idea mean to you as a band, and how do you translate those subtle, often-overlooked moments into something that feels urgent and sacred in the music?
SS: So much lives in so little, and when you stare at it long enough, it feels good and alive – like there’s a secret message to uncover somewhere. Sometimes there’s an urgency to remember that all there is is what is around you, and the music puts a sparkling border around it or something — a highlight, an underline, an urgent reminder to feel good looking around and finding sights to celebrate in the big mundane together.
Thanks for chatting with us, Sam. The vocals instantly convey emotional connection and deep reflection, as this song presses toward trying to empty all the narratives in your brain, the “posters in your head,” and get to a place of authenticity. And the yearning that comes with the experience. This song helps point the way there, and the video with shots of Sam singing the sing in various contexts helps emphasize the significance of an authentic clearing in the context of the average everyday.
Find Internal Drone Infinity here: https://ffm.to/livinghour_internaldroneinfinity