With the release of her EP HANA in March last year, Montana-based singer-songwriter Hana Pestle seems poised to become the next critically acclaimed indie pop star. "Clay" is her breakthrough single: a lyrical and poetic meditation on the process of reclaiming your identity after a shattering break-up:
“Just because being in a relationship from that age—it was like, 17 to 23. I feel very lucky that I'm not pretty fucked up, because your brain is still developing at that age. Being in a pretty manipulative, controlling relationship for that long, I felt when I got out of it that I had to completely rebuild who I was, all my values. You get used to being treated a certain way, and that's not really okay if you're being treated horribly. So that's what that song is about: going away and starting over and becoming a bigger and better person..”
Hana Pestle,
With approval from three influential indie stars - Lorde (who described HANA as being "too shimmering and beautiful for words"), Grimes and Lana Del Rey (both Grimes and HANA opened for her during the 2015 tour) - HANA seems set to launch herself into the playlists of everyone who appreciates sonically beautiful and emotionally intelligent indie pop music.
While contemporary artists like Taylor Swift and Adele have made the 'she lost him but she found herself in the process' theme seem irredeemably cliche, the Blood Diamonds-produced track manages to come across as being fresh by virtue of an ambient and ethereal feel that works well with Pestle's contemplative and introspective vocals - which brings out all the nuance, subtlety and poeticism in the song's lyrics:
'It's four in the morningI’m finding my ownYou know you never said sorryFor all that you stoleNow I’m going awayAnd you’ll never find meFive years older todayMolding clayFound you never knew meNow I can find happyNothing to show but my name'.
