‘Smartness & Dollars’ finds HAYBOY reconsidering the cost of ambition

HAYBOY has released “Smartness & Dollars,” a new track recorded with a deliberately spontaneous studio approach.

Daniel Brown was joined by Mamalarky drummer Dylan Hill and Pecos & The Rooftops bassist Steven Buehler for the session, with the trio recording together without prior rehearsal or a click track. Producer Lang Freeman, whose credits include Live and Dustin Kensrue, subsequently added a lead guitar performance in a single pass.

That immediacy gives the song a loose, physical quality, while Brown’s vocal was treated considerably more carefully and developed over almost a year.

Lyrically, “Smartness & Dollars” reflects on the possibility that achievement and status can become distractions from deeper personal connections.

The release begins the rollout for HAYBOY’s forthcoming album, which will be accompanied by Brown’s own pen-and-ink artwork. Early vinyl copies are set to include an original drawing, extending the project’s storytelling beyond the recordings themselves.