Song of the Day: “Gravity” by Hikes
After a wait that felt long enough for the band members to have reasonably considered taking up artisanal woodturning as an alternate profession, Austin’s premier math-folk architects, Hikes, finally dropped Winnower in late March 2026. For those who have been following Nay Wilkins and company since the Lilt or Mahal Kita era of the late twenty-teens, this record is less of a sharp left turn and more of a scenic overlook—it’s the same mountain they’ve been climbing, but the air is clearer and the view is significantly more expansive.
Musically, Winnower represents the final shedding of the “just a math rock band” chrysalis. While the signature finger-tapped acrobatics are still there, they no longer feel like the band is showing off for a room full of guitar nerds. Instead, the technicality serves the emotion. The evolution here is one of maturity; they’ve moved from the frantic, jittery energy of their early 20s into a sound that is accessible and well thought-out.
If Mahal Kita was about the beauty of connection, Winnower is about the labor of maintaining it. The production is crisp—courtesy of Halo-Halo Records—giving the intricate drum patterns and interlocking guitars enough room to breathe without suffocating the vocals. Ultimately, Winnower is the sound of a band that has stopped trying to outrun their influences and started trying to outgrow them by carving their own path. It’s a record for people who like their time signatures complex but their feelings simple and direct. It’s a triumphant return that suggests Hikes isn’t just a local Austin treasure anymore.
While “Persimmon” and “To Belong” offer the raw emotional heights we’ve come to expect, the album’s crowning achievement is “Gravity.” It is the definitive track because it showcases a level of restraint that would have been impossible for the band five years ago, with something resembling a traditional song structure and an actual “sing-along” chorus! It manages to feel weightless—living up to its name by defying it—until the final third of the track, where the rhythmic interplay between the drums and the guitars creates a genuine sense of physical pull. It’s a great example of tension and release that doesn’t rely on a “loud-quiet-loud” cliché, but rather a “complex-simple-ethereal” progression that proves Wilkins’ songwriting has reached a new plateau of sophistication.
The Song
Spotify:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/song/gravity/1850029821
The Album
Spotify:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/winnower/1850029819
The Band
Be sure to check out the Audio Toxicity 2026 Bad Music Detox Protocol (AKA a playlist of songs covered so far…)