As we’ve previously reported, The Walkmen have begun a hiatus, but they’re hitting the ground running with solo projects. Singer Hamilton Leithauser just announced full details of his star-studded solo debut, Black Hours, which he co-wrote and performed with Rastam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend), Paul Maroon (The Walkmen), Richard Swift (The Shins and a solo fella in his own right), and Morgan Henderson (Fleet Foxes). Leithauser also just released a gorgeous video for the album’s rollicking first single, “Alexandra,” and it features dancers in sparkly dresses and Hamilton in a tuxedo. You can see it below, and the album—in its various deluxe and non-deluxe incarnations—will be released May 6, preceded by a seven-inch single for Record Store Day. (Here’s a link to Leithauser’s site with all the dirty details.)
Just a week later, fellow Walkman—and Leithauser’s cousin—Walter Martin will also go solo with help from some friends, releasing We’re All Young Together. It’s not exactly a kids’ album, but it certainly could appeal to them. Martin enlisted Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Matt Berninger (The National), and Alec Ounsworth (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) to help him out. So yes, these guys have cool friends and excellent taste. You can listen to “Sing To Me,” featuring Karen O, below. Another Walkman, Peter Matthew Bauer, will also release a solo disc—called Liberation!—in the near future. That’s a lot of Walkmen.