"I've always preferred music that’s soothing and dreamy."
Hazel English, SF Weekly
Oakland-based Sydney native Hazel English recently posted the music video for “Control" in anticipation of her debut EP Never Going Home; a dreamy and breathy track that appears to mirror some of the motivations for her migration from Australia to the Bay Area:
'Got to break this wall that you've been constructing you can't find a reason to try can't you see what's happening to you you're building a prison can't find my way into stay'
Lyrics: Youtube
The lyrics may be directed to an 'offstage other', but the tone is more inward-looking than accusatory. The music video's narrative - which sees English escaping from a predictable and humdrum life as a waitress at a diner near a (presumably Californian) desert - enacts the track's gravitation towards escape and self-realization. English's vocals remain calm and restrained throughout - allowing the accelerating beat and guitar to embody the approaching sense of possibility and change.
English's blend of youth and maturity can appeal to younger and older music listeners alike, and her retro-leanings (she's a fan of The Smiths, The Cure, and The Doors) help hit home that atmosphere of longing and nostalgia. Stepping into the future with an ear for the past seems like a promising musical approach here.
