“Another Couple Miles”, the newest single by Canadian folk n’ roots artist Clay Hazey, is the type of song to hum along to on a hazy evening, one arm hanging out the car window.
The single’s raw vocals give listeners a taste of Hazey’s second EP, which drops this July. Hazey describes the upcoming record as his “most personal work to date,” blending his “signature dark humor with reflections on addiction, self-acceptance, and the diminishing returns of romanticism.”
Hazey released his self-titled EP in 2024, making a name for himself on the Americana charts with the single “Past Two”, a duet with Sierra Lundy of folk duo Ocie Elliot. Following the EP’s release, Hazey toured around Canada and performed at NXNE and Festival sur le Canal. Since then, he’s been refining his sound at the twangy intersection of country and western, drawing inspiration from artists like Tom Waits and Adrianne Lenker.
“We got the tail pipe blues/In the quietest way,” Hazey starts off “Another Couple Miles,” his voice mellow with a hint of rasp, laid bare over subdued acoustic guitar. “Let’s throw the wages in the well and hope for something that we both enjoy.”
A banjo trills as Hazey’s voice lifts, declaring, “It’s just another couple miles, honey… Keep me in your afterthoughts/On the edge but not forgotten.” His elliptical lyrics keep the listener guessing who he’s speaking to; if the song is about a failed relationship, or one that still has a spark. Later, the songwriter asks, “Do you wish I was tall/Like the tales you once told?” Truth intertwines with storytelling, and words take on double meanings. “Still got your grandma’s ring/So there’s a little gold.”
The song fades away like smoke exhaust, with no easy resolution. He keeps his lyrics open-ended, their meaning as elusive as his promise of “another couple miles.” If there’s one message to take away, it’s that Clay Hazey “isn’t rushing the journey—he’s settling into it, one honest song at a time.”
Keep an eye out for his second EP this July.
