The latest single from Tacoma songwriter Kye Alfred Hillig is a brilliantly crafted reflection on love, vulnerability and patience. On Small Wings unfolds beautifully, opening with just Hillig’s voice before the instrumentation begins to swell beneath. Hillig’s voice floats through a delicate, yearning tune, dropping low in unexpected melodic movements; there’s a real elegance and grace in the songwriting, arrangement and in Hillig’s vocal performance. Recorded with longtime friend and producer Daniel G. Harmann at Harmann Audio Labs in Seattle, the song is calming and hopeful.
Through the song, Hillig explores the idea that something worth having may often take time, trust and perseverance, and, conversely, meaningful connection doesn’t arrive immediately or on demand. Indeed, Hillig notes that love isn’t, “…coming cheap out of the vending machine.” Directed by Michael Rognlie, the video is artfully shot in soft-focused, sun-dappled woodland; the location reinforces the mood and lush, cinematic feel of Hillig’s music.
This is an early taste of what’s to come from Hillig’s next album, Widowmaker Express, which explores the human condition and reflects personal changes in his life. Indeed, Hillig describes it as “…a wrestling match with God.” Remarkably, this will be Hillig’s tenth album in the last ten years. A prolific creator, Hillig has already released an album in 2026, the outstanding, thought-provoking The All-Night Costume Company, which is well worth checking out. Lose yourself in these songs and fly away on these small but perfectly formed musical wings.
