Australian indie darling Harriette Pilbeam is releasing her first, 5-track EP under the monniker Hatchie, on May 25th via Heavenly Recordings. To recap: since the feature I did on the single “Sure” earlier this year, Harriette Pilbeam was already quite a prominent figure in Brisbane scene: she played in bands like Go Violets and Babaganouj, and decided to form Hatchie because she was specifically attracted to a 90’s dreampop sound (The Cranberries, The Sundays clearly spring to mind) and decided to do her own thing with it.
The EP “Sugar & Spice“, naturally, houses the first two Hatchie singles “Try” and “Sure “. “Try” became an almost immediate favourite in indie-dom upon release last year, and is like listening to a poppier, brighter version of the early phase of 4AD band Lush, with a contemporary dreampoppy gloss. “Sure” is probably one of the most catchy tunes released in 2017, and a near-perfect pop-composition: its components hooking and flowing seamlessly, and the lyrics cleverly looping around to give the chorus a chant-like quality that makes you wanna hear the song over and over again. Cocteau Twin Robin Guthrie recently made a remix of “Sure”
“Sugar & Spice” (the 3rd single that was revealed last April) definitely continues in that sugary early Cranberries tradition, coated with a shimmery jangle glazing of bittersweet pop-cuteness. Only a few weeks later, the 4th track of the EP, “Sleep” (a prismatic pop-piece with synths a la Depeche Mode), was unveiled, leaving us guessing about only one more track: the “Bad Guy“. Although “Bad Guy” is a sweeping, melancholy (but catchy) composition, overall, the EP feels exactly like the weather in Australia: sunny,sunny, sunny…. Without doubt, Hatchie succeeded in perfectly capturing the spirit of classic early 90’s indie, without being too gimmicky or formulaic in its approach. I am sure it will bring happy memories to the generation that lived the era, and a lustrous glimpse to those that can only guess about the days in which “indie” was truly “indie”. Together with her compatriot Hazel English, Hatchie brings us sparkly, easygoing, girlie jangle-pop that never fails to lift our mood. Come to think of that connection, I might migrate asap….
The release of the EP comes hot off the back of a remarkable last year for Hatchie. After signing to Ivy League Records for Australia/New Zealand, Heavenly Recordings for UK/Europe and Double Double Whammy/Polyvinyl for North America, performances at SXSW, and a very recent succesful mini tour in the UK, we can probably anticipate an international tour to come.
