For years, Hayes Bradley has been working in the shadows—composing for indie films, curating soundtracks for fashion houses like Guess and Burberry, and crafting ambient soundscapes refined enough to catch the ear of Beck, who gave them an official remix. But with “Total Call,” the LA-based artist isn’t whispering anymore. He’s turning the volume up until the walls shake.
Out August 8 via StrataSonic—the same LA label that’s worked with Seth Troxler and Glass Animals—“Total Call” is an unapologetic return to the dancefloor. It doesn’t ease you in; it grabs you. Gritty, raw guitar riffs tear into thunderous breakbeats built for peak-time chaos, sinewy synths snake through the gaps, and a bassline holds everything in a state of tightly wound suspense. It’s the sound of an artist swapping restraint for release, channeling years of finely tuned sonic control into one headlong rush.
The single is a glimpse into Bradley’s forthcoming fourth LP, a widescreen affair that blends progressive, melodic broken beats with introspective songwriting and moments of pure club euphoria. It’s as comfortable in a warehouse at 3 a.m. as it is in a film score, a collision of his split worlds—cinema and dance—into something fully his own.
This pivot isn’t without precedent. Bradley’s toured the globe with his DJ group American Dance Ghosts, sharing stages with Kaytranada. He’s just wrapped scoring Emily Abt’s Thirsty, proving his narrative instincts are as sharp as his beat programming. Now, he’s bringing all of it—drums, synths, piano—into a new live show debuting this fall in LA, New York, and Berlin.
“Total Call” isn’t just a track. It’s a statement of intent from an artist who’s spent years building worlds for others and is now inviting you into his own. The call is coming from inside the club—and you’d be smart to answer.
You’ve gone from ambient landscapes and indie film scores to peak-time breakbeats—what was the moment you realized you were ready to storm back into the club?
Haha unfortunately I dont think I ever really left the club. The music i was making was in opposition of having long nights, i needed some quiet time and i found a really amazing passion in film scoring. But I think now i feel more confident in the zone i want to be with dance music and this sound makes the most sense to me.
“Total Call” feels like tension and release in audio form—was this track born out of a specific emotional headspace or more of a technical experiment gone right?
I think both, i wanted to make something that felt like it could fit in a jason bourne chase scene but also be able to fit on a dance floor kind of. I dont really ever think of the outcome of music when im making it, it just kind of has to end at some point and then thats the song.
Your résumé is wildly eclectic—film scoring, fashion soundtracking, Beck remixes. How do these worlds bleed into the Hayes Bradley we’re hearing on your fourth LP?
Its interesting to call it my 4th LP. i mean i guess it is but the first 3 didnt have a single drum or bass line on it. So i think this one could feel like the first in a way but i think this record is just the culmination of everything ive done in my life so far.
There’s this raw guitar riff in “Total Call” that feels almost punk against the electronic backbone. Are you deliberately breaking your own sonic rules this time?
Yeah ive always been really drawn to electronic artists that blend live instruments, like massive attack and moby. Its challenging to incoproate at times but always makes the production have a new life.
You’ve toured with American Dance Ghosts alongside Kaytranada. Does that experience still inform how you craft tracks meant to hit a club system?
ADG was a group i was in with my friend hank korsan. Some of the best years ive had, and yeah every set ive played has informed me on where i want my music to sound like so yeah definitely.
Your upcoming live show involves drums, synths, and piano—was it important for you to bring a tactile, human element into a world that’s often laptop-driven?
Yeah i wanted this live show to be as far away from the dj world as possibile. I wanted to feel like a beginner again in a way so doing everything live and true was the fastest way to start at zero again.
Fashion houses like Burberry and Guess have trusted you to score their sonic identity. If “Total Call” walked down a runway, what would the show look like?
Up the hill on vine street in hollywood at nighttime with cars flying by
You’ve spent years in ambient and cinematic spaces—does writing something for the dance floor feel liberating, or is it a different kind of vulnerability?
I think vulnerable but also the arrangement of the songs sometimes have an ambient sensibility so i feel one foot in that world at the same time
Your new album promises ‘widescreen progressive broken beats’ with ‘introspective songwriting.’ What does introspection sound like when it’s meant for peak-time?
Oh damn those are big promises. I think some fucked up bassline that pans both ways in preparation for the drums to slam in.
If you had to send “Total Call” into space as the first signal of Hayes Bradley 2.0, what would you want extraterrestrial ravers to understand about you?
I hope they will come with a song they made for me to listen too haha
