Hayden Phillis - Too Young (2025)

At just 18, Hayden Phillis has released a debut album that will hit you hard with its maturity, depth and emotional honesty. Too Young is a raw and reflective body of work, recorded at Rabbit Hole Studio — the creative home of Kasey Chambers and producer Brandon Dodd.

“I love the way they put the recording studio together,” Hayden said.

“Everyone is together as a band and you’re performing the song live, so you get to really feel the music, instead of recording it individually. You can be immersed in it.”
From slamming a bag of nuts and bolts against the concrete for texture, to weaving in organ parts on Lies, Hayden explored every corner of sound alongside a team of seasoned players: Kane Butler (drums), Jeff McCormack (bass), Brandon Dodd (multi-instrumentalist and producer), Gabi Louise (strings), and Bill Chambers (lap steel and dobro).
Written during his final year of high school, Too Young captures a period of enormous pressure and personal growth.
“Recording the album was an absolute juggle. I was doing a lot of writing music during the HSC,” he said.
“There was a lot of stuff like that I had to balance — getting really good marks and doing music.”
The focus track to radio is Sorry’s Not Enough, written with Felicity Dowd at the DAG Sheep Station Autumn 2024 Songwriters' Retreat and born from a casual conversation about life, relationships, and the times when words simply aren't enough.
“Sometimes an apology doesn’t cut it,” Hayden said.
“It’s more about the actions someone has done, not just what they say. We started talking about that, and I had some chords and a bit of a vibe I brought in. We just sat and talked about our lives and ended up landing on this idea.”