Hatchie: Giving The World Away | 4ZZZ Brisbane 102.1FM

- There is a truism that lightning cannot strike twice in the same place, even more impossible would be for lightning to strike thrice in that same spot. The natural world, however, doesn’t obey truisms, which are often anything but true. The record industry, however, is very keen to adhere to truisms, particularly with artists releasing their second or third offerings after gaining critical or public acclaim with their initial releases. Brisbane’s Hatchie had a charmed run with 2018’s Sugar & Spice EP and 2019’s Keepsake debut album scoring in both columns – praised by critics and adored by fans. Could that other truism the “difficult second album” call a halt to this progress, or would Harriet Pilbeam, the creative centre of Hatchie, wield the lightning bolt a third time?

Giving The World Away begins the journey that any serious artist would contemplate, in exploring other styles and sounds without completely turning away from the form and genre that made the artist a success in the first place (not everyone is Nelly Furtado, just quietly). Hatchie’s sound is grounded firmly on two major musical genres – shoegaze and dream pop, with both the previous EP and album releases showing how adept Pilbeam and team are at making something fringe almost mainstream and accessible without compromising the form that those songs owe their existence.

Opening the album with a tantalising guitar riff, Lights On builds on a solid beat that goes big around the chorus and makes the first claim to be a lot chunkier than a simple dreampop repeat of previous Hatchie work. This Enchanted was the advance single from the album that promised things might not stray too far from the formula and gave Pilbeam a chance to be bright and shining with a song that sounded as if it could have been on the next The Creases album (if that ever happens) - naturally, the cross-over is to be expected, given that Pilbeam’s main partner in Hatchie is her now husband Joe Agius, front man of Brisbane’s greatest first album wonders.

Twin evokes a bit of '80's nostalgia with a music bed that resembles the work of Tears For Fears but with a light, almost angelic vocal and then Take My Hand which drops into a steady rhythm and another vocal timbre, much lower in register for Pilbeam which is surprisingly hypnotic. The Rhythm is one of the most unexpected sounds and unpacks where Pilbeam wanted to go, if COVID19 hadn’t stopped their progress dead in 2020: she goes into a slinky, groovy club sound with deep percussion and layers of synths over the top. Quicksand, the current single, also moves away from the dreampop template to a mid-tempo cautionary tale about direction and the pitfalls ahead, complete with an incessant beat that you just don’t notice at first until you are dropped into the chorus.

The mood changes totally with Thinking Of which has a full complement of jungle sounding drums, woodblock percussion, acoustic guitars and a full multi-layered vocal line that sounds all the world like the 1990's hit Hold On by Wilson Phillips. The title track goes in another direction almost late '80's The Cure like and that driving rhythm is there again, keeping you tight to the beat and the keyboard runs. The Key and Don’t Leave Me In The Rain resemble much of the tunes on Keepsake, with the latter having a keening lyric that begs you not to walk away. Ending the album are two very cute numbers, Sunday Song feels bittersweet, you are never too sure if you should be totally happy with it or ponder the pain within and ending on the slower tempo but suitably small anthem style Til We Run Out Of Air which deposit the listener on a contented ledge to contemplate the twelve song journey.

Produced by Jorge Elbrecht, known for his work with Sky Ferreira, Japanese Breakfast, and Wild Nothing, Giving The World Away is “…Hatchie’s most thunderous, sprawling work yet…” to quote the PR sheet and, yes, it’s fairly certain that “thrice” has been achieved here.

- Blair Martin.