Alt-Country at Its Rawest: Hadnot Creek’s Leaving Makes Room for the Messy Middle

Hailing from Charlottesville, Hadnot Creek is the recording project of a hugely gifted singer/songwriter named Robert Sawrey. With a revolving door of collaborators and guest musicians accompanying him, Robert leans into the dusty storytelling of artists like John Murray, Tom Waits, and David Berman. Honest, raw, and unafraid to sit with life’s quiet ache, Hadnot Creek tell stories that hold space for grief, curiosity, and introspection.

Leaving is the outfit's brand new offering, and it's a ten-track alternative country album released at the end of last week. Swinging between defiant rockers and lonesome, tender ballads, it's a record that showcases the full range of Robert's songwriting talents. 

Tunes like I Don't Love This World Anymore and It's An Impossible World serve more as reflections on the planet's cracks than cries of individual despair. While others like I'm An Old Submariner and Mama, I'm So Sorry feel like faded letters brimming with emotional weight.

Hadnot Creek lean into surrealism and wry observation on the second half of the album, and this is where I shall leave you to explore without me whispering in your ear. All I'll say is that Leaving is quickly becoming one of my go-to records.

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