Project Description

HATCHIE

@ The Black Bear Lodge

(14/7/18)

Live Review

Reviewed By: Alexandra Ainsworth

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Hatchie

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‘There is an ease to her music; the three singles she’s released so far waft like a balmy breeze.’ – Pitchfork

‘Her particular brand of pop music is a rhythmic, lifting and 90s-embracing nod to carefree, happier days and with a brace of joyous breakthrough singles such as ‘Try’, ‘Sure’ and ‘Sugar & Spice’ under her belt.’ – The 405

‘Hatchie swoops into earshot… a marvellous mesh of Cocteau Twins-y atmospherics & jangly 90’s pop.’ – The Line of Best Fit

‘Inject a bit of Hatchie’s cavernous-feeling millennium pop into your veins and it could probably power you through an entire night; get a taste of ‘Sleep’ for example, and you probably won’t be getting any.’ – Fader

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Brisbane’s latest it-girl, Hatchie (Harriette Pilbeam), has just finished up her first headline tour and is about to head across the world to promote her latest EP, Sugar and Spice. There’s been a slow-growing buzz following Pilbeam since the release of her first single Try, and with the release of Sugar and Spice, Hatchie is proving to be just as dreamy as her tracks promise.

With only 5 songs under her fairly new belt, Hatchie has amassed quite the following, all of which have sold out her hometown show (as well as the Melbourne and Sydney dates). The crowd inside the Black Bear Lodge is elbow to elbow, each member eagerly trying to get a decent glimpse of the slightly risen stage.

It’s on her opening track that you instantly know that the hype around Hatchie isn’t just white noise. Her vocals, while slightly damped by the volume of her bandmates, shows immediate promise. It’s the perfect level of sweet yet strong that makes her 90s pop lyrics all the more enticing. The set list is short but includes two new tracks, both of which fit into the current catalogue almost perfectly. A cover of Kylie Minogue gives the fairly drunk crowd a welcome surprise, with the dream-pop songstress ending the set on Sure.

It’s an almost tragically short set, but despite the fact, Pilbeam manages to squeeze in everything her the aptly named Sugar and Spice has to offer and more. Jangly guitars, humming bass, and irresistible hooks make for a nostalgic insight into modern romance, making it all too easy to fall in love with Hatchie.

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Hatchie (real name Harriette Pilbeam) says of the EP, “These songs were written more for myself than for a specific project, in an effort to explore feelings of vulnerability and ecstasy I had previously suppressed. I wanted them to sound lush, sparkly, and recreate euphoric feelings I experienced falling in love for the first time. They were all written without much thought or pressure from myself or anyone else, allowing me to lay my feelings out like I’ve never done before. Joe Agius (The Creases) and producer John Castle helped shape the sound you can hear in each track, bringing life to each song in its own special way.”

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Follow HATCHIE

Website

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AMNPLIFY – DB