Interview: 2018 Must-Know - Hatchie

You know you’re onto a good thing when just days after releasing your debut single you get sign a management deal, and an international booking agent - and that’s exactly what happened when Australian artist Hatchie released ‘Try’, a glittery ode to putting in effort.

Her follow-up ‘Sure’ is just as charming, and means 2018 is no doubt going to be exciting…

MUST-LISTEN: ‘Try’, ‘Sure’.
YOU WILL LIKE, IF YOU LIKE: Best Coast, Honeyblood, Beach Fossils, Julia Jacklin, La Sera, Tennis, Hinds, Wild Nothing… and driving by the beach listening to your favourite mixtape.

COUP DE MAIN: You wrote ‘Try’ two years ago before you finally released it last year - what was it about that song, and that time, that felt right to finally release it into the world?
HATCHIE: I put off releasing 'Try' for ages for a number of reasons, most of which just came down to timing. I wanted to finish with a few stressful things in my life – uni, the job I was working at the time, moving out of home. I was also pretty nervous about starting a new project after being in a band with friends for so long. Eventually I ran out of excuses to put it off, so at the beginning of 2017 I promised myself I’d release it on my birthday.

CDM: I love your latest single ‘Sure’ - what was running through your mind while writing that song?
HATCHIE: I was thinking about love that isn’t easy to forget about, couples who can’t decide if they want to be together or apart. It was the first song I’d written in a while that I was instantly really happy with, sonically.  

CDM: It touches on the idea of indecision so well, and I love the line, “But is it really ever over?” Do you think that a part of any relationship (romantic or platonic) always sticks with you, even when it is over?
HATCHIE: Totally, I think there’s this idea that when you break up with someone, or when a friendship ends, you can call it quits and never look back, when in reality it can often take months or even years to truly get over someone or something.

CDM: You’ve also been in bands previous to releasing music under Hatchie. What made you decide to want to pursue music just as yourself?
HATCHIE: I have always been really interested in pop music - I think intelligent pop writing is just as valuable as other seemingly deeper genres. My songs are produced so that they don’t always immediately come across as pop songs, but at their core they are straight-up pop. That’s probably my favourite part of this project. I wanted to experiment with pop writing and more dreamy gazey production, and I felt like these songs needed their own space.

CDM: How does your songwriting process work?
HATCHIE: It’s honestly really varied. 'Try' and 'Sure' were both written on an acoustic guitar while I was playing around and not really expecting anything to happen. Other songs I’ve written have started with a vocal melody, or flipping a chord structure around that’s been stuck in my head. Sometimes I sit at my computer for hours playing with synth sounds to find a cool lead line and then I build a song around that. I think if I came at it with the same approach for each song I would get really stuck or it would all sound the same.

CDM: Do you write your lyrics specifically for the songs, or do you write poems or prose and then evolve them into song-form?
HATCHIE: I have a big bank of prose I’ve written over the last few years that I usually refer to when I know what concept I want to build a song around. So I’ll start with a line or two I come up with in the moment to suit the mood of the song, then I’ll refer to my notes to flesh out the rest of the song.

CDM: Lyrically, what's your favourite song that you’ve written?
HATCHIE: Right now I would say 'Sure' or the verses of 'Sugar & Spice', which is on my upcoming EP. I wrote those words before I’d considered writing any music for this project, they’re really honest lyrics.

CDM: What do you think is the difference between a good song and a great song?
HATCHIE: Something memorable that makes you come back for more. It doesn’t matter if it’s the simplest or most complex song, if it’s forgettable then what’s the point?

CDM: At what age did you write your very first song ever, and what was it about?
HATCHIE: Oh god, I don’t even want to know what it was about, but I definitely tried writing when I had absolutely nothing to write about, around the age of 12 when I first started playing guitar.

CDM: Did studying Creative Industries at university help you with understanding and having total input in your career as Hatchie?
HATCHIE: I guess to some extent. I think because of my subject choices, the skills I learnt that I’ve put into practice most often have been reflection and self-understanding. Reflection is a huge, very positive part of my life and I really do have university to thank for that. The subjects I did were most beneficial in that they taught me about myself; community; setting goals; and throwing everything into my work (rather than any specific business or music skills). So in that sense, studying did push me towards putting everything into this project.
 
CDM: Do you think it’s important for musicians nowadays to have an understanding of how things work in the industry - not just the music alone?
HATCHIE: I think having experience with, and an understanding of, the industry definitely helped me get Hatchie on the right track straight away. More than anything, just to help deal with navigating expectations, negativity and any feelings of ‘failure’. Being in a band and being friends with people in bands has been the best insight into the industry I’ve had. I think if I’d tried to start this project a few years ago when I had little experience and few contacts, I would have messed it up or thrown the towel in quite quickly. That being said, while I think it definitely helps to have an understanding of the industry, I don’t think it's necessary. Plenty of people dive in the deep end with little-to no experience and go on to be incredibly successful, and that’s great. We all start somewhere.

CDM: If H.A.T.C.H.I.E. were an acronym, what would each letter stand for?
HATCHIE: Has A Tendency to Hide Inside Emotions.

CDM: You’re one of our 'must-know’ artist picks for 2018... who are yours?
HATCHIE: Mallrat, JOY., Rebel Yell, Clea, Wolf Alice, Superorganism!!!

Hatchie’s new song ‘Sure’ is out now - watch the music video below…