Aodhán King and Benjamin William Hastings did what few artists are willing to do. They made an album in 10 days. The result of the brief creative experiment is “Happy To Be Here,” a 12-track project full of quirky, congregational-friendly anthems.
This might have been Hastings first run at crafting an album within a short, defined timeframe; but it was something King first attempted in 2025 when he and Abbie Gamboa settled into a studio in Texas and cranked out “Throwing Paint” in a week’s time.
Unlike King and Gamboa’s small circle of collaborators, King and Hastings threw the doors to their Nashville studio bunker wide open to a host of talented friends who provided lyrical ingenuity, gang vocals, deft musicianship, thoughtful production and guest features. At its core, “Happy To Be Here” is a record for the Church, yes; but ultimately, it’s a testament to friendship.
The effort opens with the slow build of the title cut, which eventually resolves into a burst of untamed instrumentation rounding out the introductory track like a Fourth of July fireworks display and setting the tone for a record with few rules and even fewer boundaries aside from the natural time constraint.
The bright, folky “Hollow Grave” follows. As the project’s lead single, it helped plot the course for the easily singable songs to come. While the rest of the tracklisting isn’t as Americana-flavored, the selection’s lyrical richness and communal feel remain common threads woven throughout the collection’s dozen originals.
Never more than a last-minute text away, multiple special guests appear on “Happy To Be Here.” North Carolina-based artist Tiffany Hudson (Elevation Worship), who just happened to have a day off in Nashville during King and Hastings’ recording session, was tapped for the reverent “Yahweh.” Meanwhile, Kari Jobe was invited to contribute her signature warmth to the regal “Holy Jesus.” Her husband, Cody Carnes, makes a cameo on “Wondrous Cross (When I Survey),” an updated version of the timeless hymn, which he reimagined alongside King, Hastings, Ben Tan and Jason Ingram.
The lyrically complex “Saturday” — an immediate standout — might just be the album’s crown jewel. Yet, it requires multiple listens before one can truly mine the full gold of this song. It’s one for those in the thick of the wait, an anthem for the in-between. The two worship leaders coin a sublime metaphor as Hastings sings, “It’s hard on the first, and we cheer on the third. But most life is lived on the second” after concluding, “A lot can change in a day.” The seasoned worship leaders — and their friends — once again let their musical creativity run wild on the backend of the urgently passionate track.
Elsewhere, they stumble upon something of a mantra for the whole project with surrender-induced “Waiting To See What God Does” and trace the divine fingerprints they witnessed across the entire process on earnest confessional “God Thing.”
Throughout the set, Hastings and King easily trade lead vocals. At other times, they harmonize, often joined by robust gang vocals, which add a raw, in-the-moment layer to the endeavor. Along the way, Hastings offers his signature wordsmithing, while King brings his fearless musicality to the project. Yet, both emerge as modern psalmists in a sense. It’s evident their collective heart is to create songs for the Church to sing, but the deeper you get into “Happy To Be Here,” the more you realize they have the uncanny ability to make even trendy slang sound poetic when paired with a deeper theological truth.
Hastings and King didn’t simply set out to make a vibey body of work. They set out to craft a collection of songs that point people to the Jesus they know. Perhaps what they didn’t expect to unearth in the midst of it was uncontainable joy. The kind of joy that permeates the entire record and even gives the project its title. They were indeed happy to be there, together, making music with their closest friends.
And perhaps that’s the biggest story at play on “Happy To Be Here.” While the music they created is noteworthy, it’s their friendship that’s the true work of art.
