Hooks & The Huckleberries take inspiration from life in NM on new album

Jemez. It’s a magical place in New Mexico.

It’s also an area which inspired Adam Hooks.

This is exactly why Hooks & The Huckleberries released the first single, “Jemez,” from its upcoming album.

“Jemez has always been a special place for me and other members of the band,” Hooks says. “Being able to write about it has been special.”

The single is released to streaming platforms and the video will be released on YouTube on Thursday, July 27. It was recorded to The Echo Lab in Denton, Texas.

The studio is where the band also worked on its upcoming album, “For the Love of Whatever.”

“We spent 10 days straight in the studio doing 12-hour days,” Hooks says. “The entire album was recorded live in the studio.”

The band worked with producer Matt Pence, who was instrumental in helping the band find its true self and sound on the album.

“We had about 12 or 13 songs that we had prepared for the studio,” he says. “Ten originals made the album. With Matt’s help, we were able to find those special moments in the studio. We also ended up doing a super fun and beautiful cover song, which will be revealed when the album is released.”

The band will release the album later this year and is working on an exact date.

While Hooks is the frontman, he’s joined on stage by Joshua Lee on guitar. Dustin Hoag is on drums and Ryan Martino is on bass.

“I put all my eggs in this basket,” Hooks says. “The music business is so different and social media plays an important role. It’s been a learning process for us. Dustin and Josh spend a lot of time figuring out the different factions of how often to post a TikTok video versus and Instagram post.”

Hooks says working on the new album put into perspective where the band is as a whole.

He says there’s growth in not only the musicianship, but the lyrics.

“We write about what’s going on in our lives,” he says. “That’s what relates to us, and we’re hoping that it relates to others finding our music. I hope the music is relevant to people.”

Hooks has written songs since he was a child, as he was often inspired by his father, who was a Lutheran pastor.

“The first songs were my attempt at writing hymns,” he says. “I’m now at a point in my life where the stories of my own experiences are finally important enough to write about. The songs I wrote when I was younger were missing life experience. All the songs on this new record are full of heartbreak, loss and love. All those emotions.”

Hooks says one of the songs on the album was written about a close friend that died by suicide over a year ago.

“It was one of the most devastating losses in my life,” he says. “I still think of this person on a daily basis. It’s a very intense, honest and personal song. Recording it was difficult because I’d get to a certain part and burst into tears. In the end, the producer just went with the first take – tears and all. I’ve talked to this friend’s parents to ask if it would be okay to release the song as a single. They were super gracious and told me to release it as it would help to bring awareness to mental health and suicide.”

The band’s next single will be released on Aug. 16