EXCLUSIVE: Hayes Carll Shares Suitably Heartwarming Video for 'Good People (Thank Me)' Ahead of His New Album We're Only Human

In one of Charles M. Schulz's famous Peanuts comic strips from the '90s, Snoopy is sitting on top of his doghouse typing out one of his typically self-aggrandising stories.

"All his life he tried to be a good person," Snoopy types. "Many times, however, he failed. For after all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog.”

Anyone who has ever listened to Hayes Carll over the years will know how keenly he feels those frustrations that come with the limitations of his own humanity, and how deep into the emotional depths he is willing to dive to try and make sense of his own failings

On his tenth studio album, We're Only Human, the Houston born singer serves up a timely tonic for the anxiety and discord of the modern age with a record that delves into what it means to be human when the world is falling apart around you. In a culture of instant gratification and digital distractions grabbing for our attention from every direction at once, it is harder than ever to just sit still and be silent and alone with the thoughts in our head, but Hayes Carll has set out a personal guide for his life, quieting the noise, and sitting with his real voice – the one that’s candid, consistent, and often inconvenient.

It captures a singer an confronted and strangely delighted by humanity’s biggest and most intimate questions. Where do we find forgiveness for ourselves and grace for others? How do we hold on to peace of mind and stay present? What can we - and should we - trust? And how can we moor ourselves to, well, ourselves, in the midst of confusing, trying times?

“I’ve lived outside of myself for so long,” Carll admits. “Distractions, fear, anxiety, insecurity, and the complexity of being human in this world have so often pulled me away from being present or at peace.”

“I feel like there’s been a voice riding shotgun all my life, pushing me to do better, but I’ve struggled to listen to it,” Carll says. “The idea behind this record was to do the personal work I needed to do, then codify those lessons in song to serve as sort of breadcrumbs to get me back on the trail if, and inevitably when, I get lost again.”

Announced in April with the sublime first single, 'Progress of Man (Bitcoin and Cattle,' the singer has continued to tease the album with a string of singles, including 'High' and the title track, that have already dropped heavy hints that We're Only Human would be one of modern Americana's genuine masterpieces, and with its release we can now confirm it is precisely that.

With its release tomorrow, Holler is excited to be able to premiere one of our favourite songs from the new record, 'Good People (Thank Me),' accompanied by the simplest and most perfectly fitting video for a record that offers audiences the chance to listen to Hayes Carll as he listens to himself.

"You get in actors and it's gonna take a couple of days of your life," he tells the crowd at the beginning of the video for 'Good People (Thank Me),' explaining the usual process of making a video for a song. "So, I came up with this idea, I said, 'We've got 12 shows on this Little Rock tour, how about we just play it live and we film the crowd when we sing it and they're gonna sing along with me and that'll be our music video?"

And that's exactly what they did. We all need a little pick me up at the moment just to get through another day on earth, and with its uplifting spirit and loose, jazzy Americana feel it feels as much indebted to songwriting greats like Randy Newman and Lyle Lovett as it does Hayes Carll's more obvious alt-country influences.

If you've ever found yourself turning to the homespun wisdom of Kermit the Frog or Winnie the Pooh in times of trouble then 'Good People (Thank Me)' is going to give you just the boost you need in these confusing, terrifying times.

"We all need a heartfelt 'thank you' for our efforts now and then," Hayes Carll says about the song. "'Good People (Thank Me)' is a chance to both receive one and give one - a small but meaningful way to lift each other up.”

A passionate insistence on the importance of grace and acceptance, both of himself and others, runs through the songs on the album, as does Carll’s determination to hold himself accountable through a collection of reminders to himself of his own failings and weaknesses.

“The creative process was in large part a self-therapy session. I don’t think that would work if I was only looking at everyone else’s issues,” Carll says. “If I’m judging others, then I’m not having to look at myself. I’m flawed as hell, judgmental, and critical of myself and those around me. That’s a loop that feeds itself. But I figure If I can look at myself clear-eyed and acknowledge my own shortcomings, it might help me have some grace and acceptance for myself and others.”

“I hope other people find something in it, too” Carll says. “Through it all, I am trying to stay appreciative, knowing that I did what I set out to do: write something that can help me navigate this journey with a little more grace and peace.”

Watch the video for 'Good People (Thank Me)' on Holler below

We're Only Human, is released on 8 August on his own Hwy 87 Records label via Thirty Tigers. Presave it here.