Premiere: Cincinnati's The Heavy Hours Embrace a Heartfelt, Stinging "Ache" in Poignant Power Ballad

A heartfelt power ballad full of tender love and strain, The Heavy Hours’ “Ache” evokes heartache and sorrow with a stirring wash of vulnerability.

for fans of Coldplay, American Authors, Train, Mt. Joy

Stream: “Ache” – The Heavy Hours

The scene is familiar and welcome: Michael Marcagi sits at an upright piano in a dimly-lit basement, gently pressing the keys in front of him. He plays the chords slowly and methodically; the sweetness and sting of solitude radiates off his performance, until the shot pans out to reveal his bandmates seated in a circle around him. The Heavy Hours’ second music video is one of intimacy and grief, urgency and distress: A heartfelt power ballad full of tender love and strain, “Ache” evokes heartache and sorrow with a stirring wash of vulnerability that showcases The Heavy Hours’ emotion, raw passion, and emerging talent.

I thought maybe I
Would lay down and die
The day I heard you left beneath the cold
December sky
The word around town
Is that your head was hangin down
With his arm around your waist
I know it’s not my place, or right
To tell you that I wanna
fight for you now

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the music video for “Ache,” The Heavy Hours’ recently-released sophomore single (October 9, 2020 via S-Curve Records). The Cincinnati, Ohio-based band of Michael Marcagi (vocals), AJ Yorio (guitar), Jonathan Moon (bass), and Ian Malott (drums), The Heavy Hours introduced themselves earlier this summer via debut single “Don’t Walk Away, an intoxicatingly catchy and upbeat song co-written with The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach.

“Ache” showcases another side to the band, presenting them in a softer and subtler context as they evoke and dwell in the throes of heartache. “‘Ache’ is about the overall hurt you feel being in a relationship where you aren’t on the same page with the other person,” the band tell Atwood Magazine. “It’s easy to feel alone when things aren’t going well, but this song is about how that pain is a two way street.”

Marcagi’s voice echoes into an enveloping darkness as he raises his voice in the chorus, pouring himself out in a visceral display of longing:

Don’t go away
Don’t go away
Cause I ache
I ache
Like you ache

Don’t go away
I know were all afraid
Cause I ache
I ache
Like you ache

Shot in Nashville as part of their At Your Doorstep road trip where they pull into different cities in their RV, the “Ache” music video flips between shots of the aforementioned basement and various reflective walking scenes on the streets above. It’s a glimpse of the band, albeit one mellowed by the sobering soundtrack of a reeling heart.

Fans of everyone from Coldplay and Train to newer rock acts like Mt. Joy will easily find something to love in The Heavy Hours’ performance. Their music is dynamic and their hearts are on their sleeves; whatever hurt they are feeling, their audience feels by the end of the song.

So far, The Heavy Hours’ At Your Doorstep road trip has come to Nashville, Kansas City, Lawrence, KS, and Denver. This week they head up to Milwaukee, Madison, and Chicago. Stream “Ache” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and stay tuned for more to come from this promising Cincinnati quartet!

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