Preview: Hovvdy at the 9:30 Club on Nov. 2
On Monday, Nov. 2, Austin-born indie-pop duo Hovvdy (pronounced “howdy”) will take the stage at D.C.’s 9:30 Club. This will be the 16th stop on their Big World North American tour, showcasing their 6th album of the same name, Big World (2026). Indie-folk singer-songwriter Christian Lee Hutson will kickstart the evening promptly at 7:00 p.m. and set the scene for a night of hardcore moshing (read: gently swaying to soothing guitar and subtle synths).
Big World, released in August of this year, boasts 12 new tracks and adds a new alt-country edge to the duo’s usual laidback, easygoing instrumentation. The project finds bandmates Charlie Martin and Will Taylor at a transitional moment in their lives and careers; it was recorded over a few months between Asheville and Nashville, where they both relocated after the release of their previous album Hovvdy (2024), to pursue their careers as professional songwriters. This change is felt in Big World; its concise lyrics match short run-times. Even the longest song on the album, “Junk,” is only three minutes and 37 seconds long.
Brief, however, does not equal meager. Big World is just as diverse and vast in its soundscape as Hovvdy’s earlier projects. Lead single “Try Try Try,” first released in May of this year, consists of a bouncy, bass-driven pop beat that is accentuated only by Martin’s subtle Texan drawl as he sings the track’s hook “You sleep, I drive, you laugh, I cry/You count, I hide/You're done, I'll try, try, try.” “What I Had,” the project’s fourth track, showcases the opposite end of their range. With its ballad-like lyricism, the track spotlights intimacy in lines like “I couldn’t give me to you/‘Cause I didn’t know about me.” The duo makes clear that succinct writing poses no barrier to their artistic and emotional expression.
Despite their recent life changes, Big World proves that Hovvdy is better than they’ve ever been, a truth extending beyond music and into the duo’s partnership. “When it comes to the music, there’s literally never questions between Charlie and me, only answers,” Taylor says of their collaborative relationship. This synergy is felt all throughout their fourth studio album, and there is no doubt in my mind that it will be present on stage next Monday at the 9:30 Club.
Flo Bendersky is a senior in the College majoring in American Studies and minoring in English. She can’t vvait to see Hovvdy next vveek!
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