11 hours ago
12
From Richmond, California
Recommended if you like Molly Nilsson, Chromatics, the 1975’s 1980s pastiches
Up next Self-titled debut album out 10 April
For those of us who can’t resist the pull of melancholy synth-pop, Californian artist Hannah Lew is set to become a new obsession. Soon to be released via Night School Records – home to the likes of Tristwch Y Fenywod and Teresa Winter – Lew’s self-titled debut is one of those albums that could easily be a greatest hits, with nine irresistible, single-worthy tracks all saturated with neon-lit heartbreak.
A mainstay of the San Francisco Bay Area creative scene, Lew started out playing in indie trio Grass Widow, and went on to form Cold Beat – an electronic group with an onomatopoeic band name, with releases on tastemaking labels Dark Entries and DFA. Beyond her music-making endeavours she’s a record shop owner, visual artist and film-maker; she’s helmed the record label Crime on the Moon and has made a string of high-saturation music videos for Shannon & the Clams, Frankie Rose and her own bands.
Like her labelmate Molly Nilsson, Lew excels at wringing maximum emotion from familiar sounds. She deftly moves between sub-genres and styles, from the minimal wave of Distance of the Moon to the New Order-esque Siloed. Recent single Sunday is all widescreen synths and melodramatic drums, like the sun coming up on a new romantic party in California. Another Twilight has a dark disco flavour with an irresistible bassline, crunchy guitar part and singsong melody. Across all these modes, Lew’s earnest vocal tone recalls the light touch of Chromatics’ Ruth Radelet – a refreshingly low-key and human centre to her maximalist musical world. Claire Biddles
This week’s best new tracks
Carla dal Forno – Going Out
The Australian singer-songwriter is one of the cold wave greats, offsetting the style’s mournfulness with tenacity and a crackle of heat. She returns with another gem, set around a ruminating bass melody. BBT
Bruce Hornsby – Ecstatic (ft Bonnie Raitt)
“I’m committed to the unseen,” Hornsby sings, proving his point by venturing into kaleidoscopic, Graceland-worthy bubbling guitar coupled with basketball chants inspired by watching his kids play. A gorgeous surprise. LS
Manga Saint Hilare – In the Dance (ft MoreNight and Freeza Chin)
With a beat inspired by Skepta’s uproarious Stage Show Riddim, this explosive bashment-grime behemoth is built for maximal wheel-ups, with Hilare issuing commands like a wayward fitness instructor. BBT
Greg Mendez – I Wanna Feel Pretty
The Philly songwriter paints a melancholy, surreal portrait of life slipping through your fingers like sand, with a delicate arrangement of piano and drums sneaking in halfway through to bolster his warm acoustic hum. LS
Aldous Harding – One Stop
The first single from Harding’s next album is about returning home and wondering who you are, done with an instantly classic vocal melody and a perfectly finessed mid-song switch-up. BBT
Rosa Walton – Sorry Anyway
“You drove me insane on the M54,” one half of Let’s Eat Grandma sings on her solo debut, a powerpop ode to messy love with the punchiest side of Tegan and Sara in its veins. LS
Gout – I Am a Beacon of Health and Wellbeing
As you might expect from the Scottish sludge-metallers’ band name, their song title is deeply sarcastic, as frontman Ally Scott frets about masculinity and pushes his body to the limit. BBT
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