Image via Pat Stevenson //

Following a string of singles in 2021 and recently scoring a place in triple j’s Hottest 100, homegrown producer Hayden James is coming in hot with his first single of 2022…

Titled ‘Hold Tight,’ the new record sees the Northern Beaches producer dial in on the piano-house part of his sound; euphoric chords swirling with cascading drums and fuzzy vocals. Similarly to previous singles ‘Waiting For You’, ‘Foolproof’ and ‘Rather Be With You’, the energy-levels are especially high in this cut, the ‘Just Friends’ producer hitting hard and fast as he crafts a festival-ready heater.

Despite the party-ready nature of the tune, it’s infused with the emotional weight to match, with the producer explaining it to be about “two people who are drifting away at moments but come back to realize what’s important’ while adding “it feels like such a strong call to hang in there, and get back to what you love doing or back to that person you love and just hold tight.“

Along with the poignant new track, the beaches-residing producer has also announced his upcoming sophomore album LIFTED, which is set to land on April 8th. The new record comes just three years after the ‘Just Friends’ producer’s debut album Between Us, and is understandably inspired by the craziness of the last couple of years, with the producer explaining, “LIFTED was born out of the yearning for some light and positivity after a tough last few years for everyone. As I started writing the album, I kept coming back to the idea of creating something energetic and live and super uplifting that could bring people together again.”

Judging by the dancefloor vibes ‘Hold Tight’ is filled with, we’re guessing the album will manage to live up to that mantra and then some. Be sure to pre-save it here and buy/stream ‘Hold Tight’ here. And of course, check out the new track above.