Hamish Hawk releases his first new material since the well-received Heavy Elevator album, and it is astonishingly good.

Release date: Available now

Label: Post Electric

Format: Digital Single

At The Barrier has been pleased to champion the work of Edinburgh’s Hamish Hawk. His breakthrough album, Heavy Elevator, provided a collection of songs of rare depth and insight, set within a winning range of sophisticated and engaging musical settings. Moreover, in a live setting, Hamish and his excellent co-musicians deliver these great songs with passion and authenticity.

The new single, Angel Numbers, results from Hamish’s return to the studio with long-time producer and collaborator, Rod Jones of Idlewild, to start recording new material for the follow-up to Heavy Elevator. On this new song, lyrical depth merges sublimely with a new anthemic timbre to Hamish’s unique and emotionally expressive voice. 

The lyrical theme of questioning fixed paths and conforming to expectations in order to experience a feeling of belonging are combined with Hamish’s impactful dream-like imagery. It’s a potent and heady mix, as this short extract illustrates.  

“I’m fainting in an empty home/Strained under debts I owe

They say the magic word is mortgage/Imagine, let’s sign a Latin life and death pledge

Am I unqualified to be so dignified?”

Musically, post-punk spikiness, is accompanied by Hammond organ flourishes, and a jazz fusion-styled guitar lead. The musicians also navigate, with absolute precision, some breath-taking switches of time signatures, that add further to the edgy, probing spirit of the lyrics. It is a great song, which is performed brilliantly, and will have you hooked on the first listen.

More new material is due to follow later in the year, and on the strength of this single, we have a lot to look forward too. Hamish is also playing a series of gigs and festivals across the UK, from July through to September. Safe to say, Hamish and his band live is something well worth catching up with.

Watch here the accompanying evocative video for Angel Numbers, by Hamish Hawk live guitarist and co-writer Andrew Pearson:

Photo credit Emanuele Centi.

You can find Hamish Hawk here: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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