Album of the Week: Hatchie

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Album of the Week: Hatchie

Plus Stream New Albums from Mark Ronson, Bedouine, Hot Chip, The Raconteurs, Kirin J Callinan, Richard Reed Parry, and More

Jun 21, 2019 By Christopher Roberts Kirin J Callinan

Hatchie is the dream pop project of Australian musician Harriette Pilbeam. Her debut album, Keepsake, was released today via Double Double Whammy and it’s our Album of the Week. Find more info on the album below. Below that are streams of other notable albums released today: Mark Ronson, Bedouine, Hot Chip, The Raconteurs, Kirin J Callinan, Richard Reed Parry, Titus Andronicus, Mannequin Pussy, black midi, Cassius, and Willie Nelson.

Hatchie: Keepsake (Double Double Whammy)

Back in May 2018 Harriette Pilbeam released her debut EP under the Hatchie name, Sugar & Spice, also via Double Double Whammy. Despite it being an EP, it made it on our Top 100 Albums of 2018 list. Pilbeam recorded Keepsake in a home studio in Melbourne. John Castle, the producer behind Sugar & Spice, once again collaborated with Pilbeam.

Keepsake is a strong contender for debut album of the year. It’s always a joy (and a surprise) when new artists arrive as fully formed and confident as Hatchie does. You’d also be hard pressed to find a 2019 album that does a better job of synthesizing ‘80s dream pop and ‘90s shoegaze elements, but also making them relevant and modern sounding.

On Wednesday we posted our rave 8.5/10 review of Keepsake by Michael Watkins and you can read that here. Here’s an except:

“Over the 45 or so minute run time of Keepsake, new highlights such as opener ‘Not That Kind’ and ‘Unwanted Guest’ reveal themselves and, with all the pieces of the jigsaw finally coming together, it’s difficult to avoid the reality that this debut album is assured, masterful, and truly immersive in the best possible way. Keepsake engages its audience through ideas that are far from the most original out there today, but because of the standard at which they are delivered and the consistency with which this style keeps creating ear worms for the listener, the inventiveness of these cuts becomes irrelevant.”

A previous press release/bio announcing the album highlighted some of Keepsake‘s tracks. “Her Own Heart,” for example, was described as “a radiant jangle-pop gem that puts a singular twist on the post-breakup narrative.”

Pilbeam elaborated further on the song: “I’d seen people in my life go through breakups and end up with no idea what to do with themselves. I wrote that song from the point of view of a girl who winds up on her own and embraces having to figure out who she is, who doesn’t let her life get turned upside-down like that.”

“Stay With Me” was described as “Keepsake‘s most utterly rhapsodic track, all incandescent synth and unstoppable rhythm.”

Pilbeam commented: “At first I thought I could never put that on my album-it felt too dancey and pop, and I figured it could really shine on someone else’s record. But then I realized: I’m the one dictating what my sound is; what I put on my album is up to me.”

Of the album title, Pilbeam explained: “I’m not much of a nostalgic person when it comes to memories, but I do have a tendency to hold on to certain things, like tickets from the first time I went someplace on holiday. It made sense to me to call the record that, at a time when I’m going to probably end up with a lot of keepsakes-and in a way, this whole album is almost like a keepsake in itself.”

Previously Hatchie shared a video for Keepsake‘s first single, “Without a Blush,” which was our #1 Song of the Week. Then she shared another song from the album, danceable breakup song “Stay With Me,” via a video for the track. “Stay With Me” was our #2 Song of the Week. Then she shared another song from the album, “Obsessed,” via a fun video for the track that featured footage of Pilbeam and her band on tour in America and elsewhere. “Obsessed” was also our #2 Song of the Week.

Last October Hatchie shared a brand new song, “Adored,” via the Adult Swim Singles Program. That song was one of our Songs of the Week, but is not featured on the new album.

In regards to Sugar & Spice, previously we posted Hatchie’s “Sleep” (which was our #2 Song of the Week). We also posted the video for Sugar & Spice‘s title track (which was also one of our Songs of the Week) and the audio for “Bad Guy” (which was also one of our Songs of the Week), as well as a video for “Bad Guy.” Due to Hatchie’s shoegazer/dream pop vibe, it makes sense that in February 2018 Cocteau Twins’ Robin Guthrie remixed previous single “Sure.” Hatchie also previously shared videos for “Try” and “Sure.”

Read our 2018 interview with Hatchie on Sugar & Spice.

Hatchie Tour Dates:

6/24 - New York, NY @ SummerStage (Central Park) *
9/5 - Boston, MA @ Great Scott
9/6 - Philadelphia, PA @ Wold Cafe Live
9/7 - Washington, D.C. @ DC9
9/8 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe
9/10 - Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
9/11 - Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx
9/13 - Spring Green, WI @ Shitty Barn - SOLD OUT
9/14 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
9/16 - Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
9/17 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
9/20 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
9/21 - Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
9/25 - San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord
9/27 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
9/28 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza
9/29 - Vancouver, BC @ Fortune Sound Club

* w/ Japanese Breakfast