EP Review
Hatchie - Sugar & Spice EP
4 StarsThe end result is pretty ecstatic.
24-year-old Brisbaner Harriette Pilbeam has been described as something of a modest “runaway success” since the release of debut track ‘Try’ in May last year. The swirling pop number began circulating almost immediately on Triple J Radio in her native Australia - and now, nearly a year later, Hatchie’s first full EP ‘Sugar & Spice’ is signposting her way to the international stage.
‘Sugar & Spice’ cements her as the modern day successor to dream pop titans Cocteau Twins from the get-go. Robin Guthrie had already blessed her with a remix of ‘Try’ in 2017, but his influence shines through even more with the opening bars of ‘Sure’, as shimmering guitars wash through in layers. ‘Sleep’ is a climactic follow-up built around shuffling beats and heroic choruses, with a smoky hook that recalls Depeche Mode’s ‘80’s classic ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’. Later, the title track’s shoegazey guitars closely mimic the iconic, ethereal sound of My Bloody Valentine.
Harriette doesn’t possess the unique, wobbly vocal style of Elizabeth Fraser, instead opting for pure, uplifting pop hooks (it’s telling, then, that she counts Kylie Minogue among her influences). It comes naturally to her - “all my songs start with singing,” she says - which makes sense given the vocal strengths present across these five tracks. With a finessed production tying everything together, the end result is pretty ecstatic.
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Lifted from the deluxe version of her album ‘Giving The World Away’.
9th March 2023, 12:00am
Hatchie: “I’m still in the middle of trying to figure myself out”
As she moves across the world on the eve of releasing new album ‘Giving The World Away’, Harriette Pilbeam discusses a second album full of personal revelations.
22nd April 2022, 9:46am
Hatchie - Giving The World Away
4 Stars
Cinematic, sweeping dream-pop that evokes the longing of the Cranberries and melancholy of Cocteau Twins.
22nd April 2022, 12:00am
Hatchie shares new track ‘Giving The World Away’
It’s the title track of her forthcoming new album.
15th February 2022, 10:32am
With Bob Vylan, St Vincent, girl in red, Lizzy McAlpine and more.