A Dirty Dozen with WILL HAYES from WOLVES AT BAY – October 2025

According to a recent press release: “Connecticut post-hardcore outfit Wolves at Bay have announced the release of their long-awaited new album, Dissolve, due out October 10, 2025. Marking their first new full-length since 2014’s When I’m Dead EP, the eight-song record captures the band’s rebirth after more than a decade of silence. Known for their raw energy and emotionally charged songwriting, Wolves at Bay reemerge with a deeper sense of maturity, vulnerability, and urgency. Dissolve is both a comeback and a statement—a meditation on aging, mental health, friendship, and the inevitable changes that come with time. It’s an album that chronicles how we grieve, heal, and move forward when everything feels like it’s falling apart.” We get singer Will to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release. What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through? Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

The new album Dissolve is a response to our album I Was The Devil Once. Devil leaves off with wrestling with thoughts of loss and not wanting face the issues you have caused, Dissolve concludes the idea of letting go of things that you can not control, and wrestling with those thoughts throughout the loss of relationships past and present, realizing that loss is a part of self growth. The song song “Pale/Blue” is a direct response to the song “Hide Like My Friends” with the lyric, ‘Pale blue above my bed, I found the cure hiding again.’ This reconnects the theme of disappearing only to find the answers through self reflection and self analyzation.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

My father got me into music. When I was in elementary school, I would watch music videos on TV and my dad would go to record conventions and pick up cheap promo cds of the artists he saw me getting into. I learned the true love of a band’s deep cuts on an album that you might have missed the first time. I feel like I always wanted to be a musician. All I ever wanted to do was sit in my room and listen to the radio on an old boombox I had and record songs from the radio onto cassettes tapes to listen to while I walked to school and back each day. I was always connected through the world by music.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

I will never forget the first time I heard, The Colour and The Shape by the Foo Fighters and watching the video for “My Hero.” They had a lot of liveliness in the music and it resonated with me so much it made me want to pick up a guitar and learn that song immediately. It felt as if it was my own music so to speak.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

There are many talented producers and musicians, but I would love to work with S.Carey or Rick Rubin. Hands down.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour? What do you like to do to unwind?

I love going to the record store and cooking unique vegan food. Did I mention I may have too many records?

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Our music is for someone who loves raw and intense rock music. It is music to help people through times when they feel alone and need to hear something that they can relate to. I can not think of a particular comparison that I disagree with, and honestly, whatever way you can connect to a specific artist is what matters most.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

I definitely cook, I love cooking for everyone. Durso (drums) brings the drinks and the party, Keenan (bass) and Kevin (guitar) bring the [acoustic space] vibe.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

The last time I was starstruck was when I played a solo set with Tim Kasher from Cursive / The Good Life in 2024. He is a genuinely kind and wise person, and I hope I play again with him or Cursive in the future.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

The best part of being a musician / songwriter is I can get out all these thoughts in my head and put them towards something positive rather than wallowing in my own self doubt all of the time. I feel that with so much going on in the world, and constantly fighting in my mind whether or not I am doing the right things, playing music has always helped me center myself. I would not be here today if it were not for music, and I appreciate every day I am able to write, sing, and play guitar. Being a musician / songwriter is my dream job and I can not think of anything else I would rather be doing. I would however love to be a barista again. That is a pretty fun job to have.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

Any question someone has is a good question. There are no singular bad questions or questions that are tiring to answer. I appreciate people are willing to take the time out of their lives to want to know what I am thinking or doing.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

I feel my biggest misstep was my poor communication when I was younger. It felt like I was going through so much, and I wish I communicated it better with my band members rather than sitting in my head with it being up all night being myself up. I really appreciate that I am able to play music again with Wolves At Bay.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

If I could be a part of a recording session it would have to be Bright Eyes – Cassadaga. The song writing  on that album and overall feel is magical. When I first heard that album, I did not understand it. I feel like I sat on it for a bit and it took some personal growth to fully understand all the intricacies of that album. It is such a beautiful and big sounding recording I would love to be in those sessions with the orchestra.

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Category: Interviews