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Dave Hawkins
Half Alive EP
Denver, CO multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Dave Hawkins is a true original. He makes rich, thoughtful indie music that zig zags across genres, touching on Americana and indie pop and shoegaze and more. The thread tying it all together is his endearing voice, everpresent wit, conscious lyricism, and deft arrangements.
He’s out on Bandcamp (and in the process of releasing the rest one single at a time) with the best work of his catalog to date, the impressive Half Alive EP, offering a 5 song meditation on “finding presence in a world that keeps pulling you away”.
In the process of exploring that theme, Hawkins gives us some quirky and memorable performances, veering from sparkly pop rock to groovy psychedelic pop to plaintive ballad to electronic power pop to jazzy piano bar anthem. It’s a dizzying tour through Hawkins’ mind as well as his dazzling array of competences, and every track brings something utterly unique to the EP, to Hawkins’ catalog, and to the indie music landscape.
It starts “With Love” - a shimmering pop gem, almost theatrical in scope, and displaying some of the best of Hawkins’ wry perspective as he unfolds a “love song” from Corporate Capitalism to its subjects - er, consumers - delivered so earnestly you almost miss how mischievous and ironic the text really is. The song contains some of the coolest guitar work Hawkins has ever put on record, from the sugary-sweet lick in the verses to the swaggering breakdown in the home stretch that carries us out of the final chorus with Hawkins’ glorious layered vocal. It may be too smart by half for the general public, but it’s also so well done it could easily suffer the same fate as “Born in the USA” and end up being used in, say, an Amazon commercial with no hint of irony.
“A Loop” changes the vibe pretty dramatically, with Hawkins using the dark and insistent synth bass groove as a tapestry for a musing on corporate routine and monotony and how it just drains the life out of everything. Even if you don’t work in that world, it’s hard not to identify with the emotional undercurrents here - because our entire world has been subsumed into the monoculture soup that used to be mostly reserved for certain professions. The back half of the song is dedicated to a recitation of company-speak, phrases like growth begins when excuses end and you have the same 24 hours as them, friend.
Again, this used to be something that may only land with a certain class of people. But nowadays it’s such a common currency among social media “hustle and grind” influencers, the type of guys that film reels from a rented “private jet” set on a lot in San Diego, that I suspect pretty much everyone is the target audience. A blissful bit of good timing that what the author is on about happens to be more broadly relevant than ever.
“Flicker” may end up being the most successful track off this record, in the long term. It feels the most of a piece with his most popular track to date - the indie rock masterpiece “Bones”, now deservedly over 100k streams and climbing. It’s also a heartbreakingly beautiful piece of writing about “trying to raise hopeful kids in a world controlled by billionaires” - it’s time to board / three two one, in your eyes i thought i saw the sun / the same sun’s shining in my eyes now begins the softly-sung verse, a nimble bit of imagery that captures the way that our children see joy and magic in everything even as their parents see the grime and greed and faults that lie behind almost everything they innocently just enjoy.
The chorus - not the end, not the arc, just a flicker in the dark - is one of the better examples we’ve heard recently of a lyric that manages to convey the full depth of feeling without being so explicit that it locks you into an interpretation. And it’s beautifully sung, just as the song is beautifully performed. It’s probably our favorite track on the EP.
“Good Behavior” is positively nuts - it’s crunchy, pounding, it features probably the most brilliant vocal performance on the record, Hawkins’ soulful fire-spitting over an irresistible beat and manic guitars will send you running to find out what he’s saying - and that’s a whole other ball of wax. She blew you kisses from the back seat as she pulled away, she sank into the leather like she just got off the stage is such a fantastic lyric - probably this writer’s favorite line on the record, in fact - and it goes by so fast you hardly even catch it. A whole page worth of character development in a couplet. If you made it this deep into the record without realizing Hawkins is as good a lyricist as he is a pianist, an arranger, a producer, then have no doubt.
Hopefully, the closer “Half Alive” will get a full promotional push, because it’s like something out of a different musical era, and it shows Hawkins at his absolute best - the piano is the star here, and it feels like a sudden revelation. Up until now, a casual listener could be forgiven for simply thinking this guy is a great singer, a fascinating producer, and a cool songwriter. But “Half Alive” leaves no doubt that you’re also listening to a top-tier musician.
The text is also phenomenally good, touching, and urgent - beginning with the observation that the narrator’s phone has died and he’s forced to look up and face the real world. Call it an earnest wish for us all to encounter the same “problem”. If it all were gone, wouldn’t miss it in the morning / when I see your eyes, all I ever wanted is by my side / not plugged into the wall and half alive.
Few things have given this writer more optimism about the state of music and art in 2025 than stumbling across Dave Hawkins some months ago. He’s got everything that should ever be required to build a massive audience - clarity of purpose, earnest charm, humor, self-awareness, humility, unbelievable skill, and a killer instinct for constructing set pieces that resonate with people. This EP is a milestone achievement, the best work he’s done yet, and a harbinger of a whole lot to look forward to in 2026.
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