Hayes Carll: We're Only Human Tour at Turntable in Indianapolis on Saturday, October 4, 2025!
Weβre Only Human
Hayes Carll isnβt preaching or teaching. Heβs not interested in telling the rest of us what to do or think. But he is charting out a personal guide for his life, quieting the noise, and sitting with his real voice β the one thatβs candid, consistent, and often inconvenient.
Weβre Only Human is Carllβs tenth album. Like his best lyrics, it is also an understated masterpiece, an honest snapshot of one manβs confrontation and delight with humanityβs biggest and most intimate questions. Where do we find forgiveness for ourselves and grace for others? How do we hold on to peace of mind and stay present? What can weβand should weββtrust? And how can we moor ourselves to, well, ourselves, in the midst of confusing, trying times? Weβre Only Human offers audiences the chance to listen to Carll as he listens to himself.
βIβve lived outside of myself for so long,β Carll admits. βDistractions, fear, anxiety, insecurity, and the complexity of being human in this world have so often pulled me away from being present or at peace.β
βI feel like thereβs been a voice riding shotgun all my life, pushing me to do better, but Iβve struggled to listen to it,β Carll says. βThe idea behind this record was to do the personal work I needed to do, then codify those lessons in song to serve as sort of breadcrumbs to get me back on the trail if, and inevitably when, I get lost again.β
Carll is more than two decades into a celebrated career. Praise from places such as Pitchfork and the New York Timesββthe latter of which yoked Carllβs ability to tackle tough issues with wry humor to Bob Dylanββpunctuate a resume that includes Americana Music Awards and a Grammy nomination. His songs arenβt safe, but many of Nashvilleβs stars have recorded them, including Kenny Chesney, Lee Ann Womack, and Brothers Osborne. As a solo recording artist, Carll has long-since established himself as one of Americanaβs most-playedββand most lovedββvoices. His warm but crackling vocals, wit, and heart dance through wordplay thatβs always clever, and never too precious. Through it all, whenever Carll points a finger, itβs most often at himself.
As Weβre Only Human collects moments of Carll figuring out how to be with himself, the songs feel forthright, hopeful, and timely. In todayβs onslaught of instant gratification, rage-baiting headlines, glorified intolerance, and falling empathy, the record is a startling outlier: an artistβs raw, real-life effort to live wellβboth with himself and others. Carll embraces private epiphanies, and shares them with the world, allowing them to unfold for all to see and share.
Of course, Weβre Only Human is also art. So while appreciating the motivation and compelling themes driving it will underpin the listenerβs experience, Carllβs album also matters because of the sheer brilliance of its execution. These are songs composed by a writerβs writer, wielding his considerable skill with precision and beauty.
The albumβs title track unfolds with plaintive piano and a mantle of grace. Carll sings, with a calming sincerity, βWeβll do most anything to avoid the pain / Hiding our hearts and casting the blame / 6,000 tongues, but weβre all the same / Ainβt no need to carry that shame / βCause weβre only human.β
Hard-won minutes of quiet clarity inspired some of the recordβs most beautiful moments. Accented by bright mandolin and soft, simple percussion, βStay Here a Whileβ captures a peaceful reprieve from a racing mind. βI remember sitting on the couch, looking out the window, watching the birds do their thing,β Carll says with a laugh. βI got lost in their lives for a moment, and it was such a wonderful feeling because my mind is always going in circles, seeking excitement, and frankly, just thinking about myself. I enjoyed the peace I felt in that moment and I thought, this is lovely and Iβd like to stay in this place.β Carll shared that takeaway with MC Taylor, aka Hiss Golden Messenger, who not only could relate, but helped finish the song.
βHighβ offers another invitation to stop and breathe. Opening with a solo horn, flute, and stripped down piano, the track is lovely and sincere, with Carllβs signature humor hovering comfortably nearby. There are also times when Carllβs sharp wit comes roaring to the foreground. βProgress of Man (Bitcoin and Cattle)β sends up societyβs disorientingββand conflictingββforces, while βGood People (Thank Me)β is a masterclass in comedic timing, stubborn humanism, and the untapped potential of gratitude.
A dogged insistence on acceptance, both of oneβs self and others, courses through the albumβ as does Carllβs determination to hold himself accountable. βIf Iβm judging others, then Iβm not having to look at myself,β Carll says. βIβm flawed as hell, judgmental, and critical of myself and those around me. Thatβs a loop that feeds itself. But I figure If I can look at myself clear-eyed and acknowledge my own shortcomings, it might help me have some grace and acceptance for myself and others.β
Itβs that sort of harmonious dualityββembracing oneβs self and confessing oneβs own mistakesββthat solidifies the recordβs big-hearted honesty. βThe creative process was in large part a self-therapy session. I donβt think that would work if I was only looking at everyone elseβs issues,β Carll says.
A moving series of grounding vignettes, realizations, and self-love roll through βWhat I Will Be,β as Carll promises to not compromise himself to fit in. A slow-burning, blues-tinged standout, βI Got Away with Itβ is painful and gorgeous. Brimming with hope, βOne Dayβ balances the work Carll sees as necessary with the certainty that satisfaction, contentment, and peace are reachable by trusting in yourself and the universe.
Featuring a parade of Carllβs longtime friends, album closer βMay I Neverβ is a plea to himself. As Ray Wylie Hubbard, Shovels & Rope, Darrell Scott, Nicole Atkins, and The Band of Heathensβ Gordy Quist and Ed Jurdi each take verses, listeners are swept up in a resolute promise to keep after good. βIt brings up a lot for me when I hear them singing those lines,β Carll says. Each of those people β whether they know it or not β have played a part in my story, and itβs gratifying and humbling to me to have them lend their voices to this song.β
In the end, Carllβs latest album is a lovingly and purposefully written collection of reminders. βI hope other people find something in it, tooβ Carll says. βThrough it all, I am trying to stay appreciative, knowing that I did what I set out to do: write something that can help me navigate this journey with a little more grace and peace.β
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