- Hatchie is set to release her debut EP Sugar & Spice on May 25th. If you’ve tuned in to 4ZZZ anytime recently you surely would have heard her (hehe). And there’s a good reason for it. Harriet Pilbeam’s spate of singles over the last year are superb slices of distorted pop music a-la Lush, Teenage Fanclub, Yuck at al.
Sure is a janglely piece of pop perfection. Pilbeam’s vocal harmonies really impress here too. Sleep evokes the sounds of a euphoric '90's Madchester group. Again, her adept vocals stand out, really belting it at one point. Try was our first taste of Hatchie. It had me sold then and it has me sold now. Another example of a well crafted song with an addictive chorus and great production. The EP's title track has some hazy guitar and that perfunctory jangle. Bad Guy is the most overtly accessible pop song here, in my opinion. The guitars are clean and it has slower, epic-pop vibes.
Invariably comparisons are made of Hatchie to the Cocteau Twins. This has been no doubt amplified by the fact Sure was remixed by Robin Guthrie himself. To be frank, Gurthrie’s remix took the energy out of the song, and the reason I enjoyed it so much in the first place. Pilbeam can Cocteau better than the Twins can nowdays! There’s no doubt!
Coming from some of my favourite bands (Babaganouj, Go Violets) I was excited to see what Pilbeam’s solo work would be like. To date, Hatchie has yet to make a misstep –this EP being no exception. Her self-described dream-pop delivers upon that descriptor. Maybe it’s her love of Charli XCX and Carly Rae Jepsen etc that makes Hatchie’s songs so good – the way they are so accessible, euphoric, and contain such relatable themes. With every composition she manages to convey her singer/songwriter abilities in addition to great production. I’m looking forward to hear what she’s cooking up in the UK at the moment, and so should you.
- Hill Folk.