Ray Hawthorne Has Never Been Better On New Single ”Overwhelmed”

At its core, “Overwhelmed”, is about the cruel irony of needing people most when you’re least able to let them in. Ray Hawthorne writes from inside that contradiction, watching himself push away the people who show up, unable to stop, and unsure if he deserves to be caught anyway. It’s Ray Hawthorne’s greatest trick, taking his worst moments and making them into songs that are impossible to not sing along to.

Ever the philosopher, Ray Hawthorne dives deep into how fans should listen to his music and who is to blame if they don’t:

“I think Jeff Probst might be a vampire and not enough people are talking about it. There’s all these conspiracies on the internet about people not aging, or faking their deaths and turning into different celebrities. Like people are saying Jim Carrey is now Walton Goggins, or Kurt Cobain is actually Rivers Cuomo (shoutout Pete for turning me on to that one). But nobody talks about Jeff Probst. I’ve been watching Survivor like my whole life and this dude has NEVER aged. Some call it hair dye, but I think it’s something more sinister than that. How many of us have actually auditioned for Survivor? Not many. I’d be willing to bet that the fine print of the contract says something like “In exchange for a chance at winning one million dollars you are agreeing to let Jeff Probst steal your life force”. And nobody’s actually reading it. They’re just happy to compete. I’m certain this information is dangerous, but someone has to take a stand. If you never hear from me again just know that it was most likely Jeff Probst (or his personal assistant) that eliminated me. Listen to my new song in protest. Use it as a way to stand against this system of Hollywood elite vampires. Play it as loud as you can to let them know that you know the truth.”

Renowned for his work in North Kingsley, the acclaimed project alongside Shavo Odadjian of System of a Down, Hawthorne initially captured hearts as the Heartbreak Hero with his inaugural solo release “Heartbreak Feels Good in a Place Like This”. Building on his solo work, his debut record “Ray Hawthorne Sucks” further cemented his status as a bold new voice in pop punk, quickly amassing a devoted following and over 20 million streams across all streaming platforms for his magnetic charm and razor-sharp wit.

Blending heartbreak, sarcasm, and just the right amount of emotional stability, Ray Hawthorne leads with a messy kind of hope, turning emotional freefall into something you can scream along to. Where debut album and his firstborn, “Ray Hawthorne Sucks”, leaned into an earnest DIY vulnerability, his latest record, “Ray Hawthorne Isn’t Real”, took a turn and tapped into the restless defiance of a secondborn. The 15 tracks helped embrace the chaos, laugh at the pain, and maybe, just maybe, allow us all to find a little redemption along the way.

Starting from the very real possibility that Ray Hawthorne is just a guy screaming into the ether (and somehow making it sound catchy), his catalog has become a refuge for anyone who’s ever felt too loud, too sensitive, or too much. Loud, petty, and deeply cathartic, Ray Hawthorne is proudly one of the most unapologetically honest voices modern pop-punk.

Be sure to stay tuned for more Ray Hawthorne news coming very soon.