‘Seems like time has been delayed/ We exist in our own space’.
Oakland-via-Sydney singer-songwriter Hazel English has proven herself to be the mistress of hazy confessionalism with the release of her double EP Just Give In / Never Going Home (2017) in May this year. Her aesthetic is simple yet effective: emotionally intelligent and confessional lyrics, brought to life with a dreamy vocal delivery and jangly, psychedelic guitars.
The recently released music video for “That Thing”, the last track on the double EP, signals a possible shift in her aesthetic. The cinematic -esqueTwin Peaks new music video, with its cinematic close-ups and bold splashes of colour, matches her transition into a more polished and streamlined ‘80s pop-rock soundscape. Her lyrical penchant for interior monologues remains intact, but the romantic ambivalence that was present on tracks like “More Like You” and “Control” has been distilled into a simple and unequivocal expression of desire: ‘I love it when you do that thing/ I love it when you do that thing to me’.
The crisp sonic flourishes - big drums, a catchy keyboard hook, sparkly synths, the shiny lead guitar line - are courtesy of producer Justin Raisen, who is known for his work with Lana Del Rey, Carli XCX, Sky Ferreira, Angel Olsen, and Kim Gordon. Will English debut LP be closer to her earlier work with Day Wave’s Jackson Phillips or this new sound? Either way, her ear for melodies and emotionally intelligent lyrics should steer her towards a bright future.
