Hatchie - Rooftops (ft. Liam Benzvi) (Official Visualizer)

A bonus track from last years Giving The World Away album, the uplifting indie pop of 'Rooftops' features the talents of US singer/songwriter Liam Benzvi, whose voice undercuts Harriette Pilbeam's crisply sweet lead vocal perfectly. As with the rest of the album, the track is pop orientated modern shoe gaze, but there's a euphoria and optimism about 'Rooftops' that is particularly infectious. It's jangly guitars and beguiling vocals create a sense that, if you get up high, you'll find a space to breathe.

Songs of the year, Number 17: Hatchie - Giving The World Away (Official Video)

'Giving The World Away', as the title track of Hatchie's second album, serves to demonstrate the extent to which the Australian artist has moved away from the sunny jangly indie pop (or, as Pitchfork put it, "sparkly shoegaze") of her debut and towards a darker, more complex indie rock that owes more to early nineties baggy, indie dance and the bleaker end of shoegaze. The video for the track only echoes this so it's safe to assume that it's a conscious move, one that leads us to speculate as to what would happen if you mated early nineties Saint Etienne with similar period My Bloody Valentine, released it on Sarah records and then let Northern Picture Library loose on it. 

The muscular, layered and complex 'Giving The World Away' rises above its various influences and incorporates its different elements well. There is plenty of flange and distortion, echoes and fades, piano riffs and solid beats here but there's also Hariette Pilbeams still-charming vocals and a solid chorus that will stay in your head for days. 

A class act.

Hatchie - Giving The World Away (Official Video)

The title track from Hatchie's second album (released earlier this year), 'Giving The World Away' shows Hatchie's sonic journey from jangly indie pop to shoegaze and dance infused late eighties/early 90s indie pop. Some of the Australian sunniness that infused her first album seems to have been lost along the way, which is a pity, but was perhaps necessary when it came to developing Hariette Pilbeam's skills as a songwriter. 'Giving The World Away' will sound like an anthem from a past era, but it's an anthemic piece that should endure in its own right. 

Hatchie - "Sure" (Live at SXSW)

This is Hatchie performing an acoustic version of 'Sure' at SXSW. You can watch her full set at Primavera Sound 2019 here.

Fantasy Festival number 13: The Lineup

Miss June: Auckland punk/grunge/indie band Miss June released their debut album, Bad Luck Party, in 2019. Coming hot on the heels of exemplary snarling punk singles such as 'Best Girl' and 'Enemies', it was keenly anticipated and did not disappoint. There's an interview here and the band's website is here.

Hatchie: Brisbane's Hariette Pilbeam, aka Hatchie, writes sun drenched happy-sad indie pop reminiscent of the early nineties and the Heavenly Sunday Social. Her debut album, Keepsake, was released last year. You can find out more here.

Press Club: Melbourne's Press Club have released two albums of ferocious grunge punk. Their first, Late Teens, featured the anthemic 'Suburbia' and second album Wasted Energy picked up where they left off. They are indefatigable. You can find out more over on their Bandcamp.

Skating Polly: Self styled creators of 'Ugly Pop', Skating Polly have been making music since their teenage years. They received early support from Exene Cervenka of X, also from Babes In Toyland, who took them on tour when singer/bassist Kelli Mayo was only 15. Since then they've collaborated with Louise Post and Nina Gordon of Veruca Salt and released five albums, most recently The Make It All Show in 2018. They are an unyieldingly energetic live act, and well worth seeing if you get the chance. You can find out more here.

Shonen Knife: The legendary Osaka band Shonen Knife have been making Ramones infused punk rock since the early 1980s. Kurt Cobain worshipped them, the 1990s music press was baffled by them, but they have consistently released album after album of frenetic Japanese punk and are a fantastic live act. You can find out more over on their Bandcamp.

Jane Weaver: Psych soundscapes from Liverpool via Manchester, Jane Weaver is a veteran of the 1990s Manchester indie scene who featured in the lineups of Kill Laura and Misty Dixon before going her own way as a solo artist. Her reputation has grown year on year, but she remains one of Manchester's best kept secrets. You can find out more here.

Jesca Hoop: From California to Manchester and back to the US again, Jesca Hoop is a restless soul, and this is reflected in the experimental nature of her music. Often folky, frequently electronic, always different. Her most recent album, Stonechild, was released in 2019. You can find out more over on her Bandcamp.

Courtney Barnett: Sydney's Courtney Barnett is two albums into a career that has seen her rapidly go from deadpan indie rock favourite to one of our most likeable rock stars. It's likely that she would have been on many festival bills this summer. You can find out more here.

Hatchie — Bad Guy (Official Video)

A nice slice of sun soaked dream pop from Brisbane's Harriette Pilbeam. 'Bad Guy' was included on last years debut album, Keepsake, and was a definite highlight of the live show when she toured the UK in autumn 2019. Close your eyes and pretend it's summer.

Songs of the year, number 11: Hatchie — Stay With Me (Official Video)

With her debut album, Keepsake, Harriette Pilbeam (aka Hatchie) provided a strong contender for album of the summer. With it's sun kissed post shoegaze guitar work and strong melodies, the album was full of perfect indie pop singles. 'Stay with me' is a particularly fine example of one of these.

Live peeks part 2: Hatchie

I had the pleasure of seeing Hatchie, aka Harriette Pilbeam, Australia's new indie rock queen in waiting, sell out Manchester's new, lovely venue Yes in mid June.

If anything, I think I underestimated her: The songs feel so easy, so effortless that you can be lulled into thinking that they aren't anything special, when really, they are.

The song 'Stay with me' is a case in point: It builds and builds, becoming much more than a charming slice of indie pop. It is anthemic, it is a tour de force... it is a total earworm.