• Rostam and Clairo reunite on “Hardy,” the latest single from his upcoming album American Stories
• The pair previously collaborated on Clairo’s 2019 debut Immunity, which produced fan-favorite “Bags”
• “Hardy” samples Georges Delerue’s score from François Truffaut’s 1973 film Day for Night, built on an instrumental Rostam first made in 2012
• American Stories arrives May 15 via Matsor Projects/Secretly Distribution, with Clairo as the only featured guest
• A concert film and North American tour follow the album’s release later this month

Seven years after crafting one of indie pop’s most beloved songs together, Rostam Batmanglij and Clairo are back. The former Vampire Weekend member and producer has released “Hardy,” a luminous new single featuring Clairo, lifted from his forthcoming album American Stories — and it sounds like no time has passed at all.

The track is named after the late French chanteuse Françoise Hardy, whose spirit clearly haunts the song even if her music doesn’t — an original Hardy sample was eventually replaced with something even more cinematic. What remains is a gorgeous lift from composer Georges Delerue’s score for François Truffaut’s 1973 film Day for Night, which Rostam first built an instrumental around back in 2012. Over a decade later, he finally finished it, layering in drums, effects, cello from Hamilton Berry, bass clarinet from Henry Solomon, and his own piano. The result is orchestral and quietly radiant — bright strings shimmering beneath a fond, bittersweet pop song.

Rostam sings in a sleepy murmur through most of the track, but the moment Clairo arrives for her own section near the end — soft voice floating over delicate piano and warbled strings — is the one that lingers. “‘Hardy’ is a song about looking forward and looking back,” Rostam said in a press release. “Ultimately, I hope it leaves you with some feeling of hope for the future. I’m so happy Claire could make a guest appearance and sing her own section of the song — I have always loved the way her voice communicates optimism.”

Clairo is the only featured guest on American Stories, which makes their reunion feel all the more intentional. The two first connected when Rostam produced Clairo’s 2019 debut Immunity, the album that introduced the world to Claire Cottrill as a fully realized artist — complete with “Softly,” “Sofia,” and “Bags,” the slow-burn duet that became something of a generational touchstone. Clairo has kept busy since, releasing her sophomore album Charm in 2024, but this collab feels like a homecoming for both of them.

What’s Coming Next for Rostam

The “Hardy” video was directed by Antony Muse, who also helmed American Stories: A Concert Film — a full live performance video Rostam will drop to YouTube on May 14, the day before the album arrives. “Hardy” follows earlier singles “Like a Spark” and “Back of a Truck” in building out the world of the record.

American Stories is out this Friday, May 15, on Matsor Projects/Secretly Distribution. Rostam’s North American tour kicks off later this month, with a run of European dates to follow in September.

If “Hardy” is any indication of where the album lives — somewhere between memory and hope, between old film scores and new beginnings — it’s going to be a beautiful place to spend some time.

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