Individual tracks will be released worldwide digitally every other Tuesday, starting September 10th, 2024.
Nostalgia for the 80s is at an all-time high. Widespread fondness for the era's distinctive music, fashion, and entertainment has been fueled by media celebrating 80s culture, alongside a longing for the simplicity of that time amidst today's technological complexities. Then again, perhaps it’s just that people who grew up in the 80s have reached middle age.
In 1983, the year that “Mr. Roboto” was released by the band Styx, 10-year-old Michael Hearst missed the school bus because he couldn't peel himself away from the five-minute-long MTV video.
In 2024, inspired by the thought of teaching his 10-year-old son about 80s’ music, Michael began recording his own versions of classics, such as "Break My Stride" by Matthew Wilder and "Hold Me Now" by Thompson Twins. Hearst is an avid collector and player of unusual and hand-crafted instruments, including theremin, accordion, and daxophone. After inviting his close friend and fellow 80s music lover Claudia Gonson (Magnetic Fields) to pick a song to sing—she chose "Eyes Without A Face" by Billy Idol—he decided to reach out to other friends including Tanya Donelly (Belly), John Linnell (They Might Be Giants), The Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt, and Syd Straw to pick songs to sing for the project. They, in turn, suggested some of their friends to join the fun: John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig), A. C. Newman (New Pornographers), Amanda Palmer, Xavier Smith, and many more. Now the wheels were in motion, and Hearst was enjoying the ride way too much, thus he set about to record 80 of these reboots. 80 From The 80s!
From Krystle Warren's deep-velvet rendition of Paul Simon's "Call Me Al," to Jonathan Coulton's pitch-perfect falsetto on Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over," Hearst's 80 From The 80s aims to entertain and perhaps provide a little bit of respite from the election season ahead, reminding us of a time when you could still "catch the deluge in a paper cup."