With the year drawing in to a dark, cynical end, Hauskey brings a ray of much needed effervescence with his debut collection of sparkling tracks. Defiantly abstract, but bursting with vibrant colour and melody, the Slow EP heralds a musician with his head in the clouds and his songs shooting higher still.
Hauskey (AKA Andy Hopkins) has only released two tracks so far – both this year – but both have gained some pretty strong traction, with this EP being backed by Republic in the US and Polydor in the UK. ‘Slow’ has been a Twelve Inch favourite for a while now, as one of the most brilliantly written early tracks we’ve ever been lucky to stumble upon.
‘Plan B’ is perhaps the best track on the EP to truly show off the height of Hauskey’s deceptively effortless sound, with vocals that lull over a gentle guitar and spin into a glowing tune. Opening with a strong chorus, we hear lyrics that could easily tipped into pessimistic territory but instead remain tinged with a lightness; a soft optimism. He remains relateable without being expected; self-reflective without being self-pitying.
‘Silver Lining’, however, was always set to be the EP’s focus track, with a music video being released alongside.
It becomes clear on your third or fourth listen that however nonchalant the sound might appear, Hauskey has been endlessly patient with curating his tracklist; not a single filler joins the crew. ‘Not Good’ is as strong as the tracks before it, with a day-dream, Rex Orange County feel. Having started his own music school, it is’t too surprising that we see such a deft handling of melody and composition with even these more laid-back tracks.
“It was tough to decide what songs to put on this EP,” laments Hauskey. ‘but the six here
felt like they capture the diversity of my songwriting, and what I want to say right now.’ “From my bedroom studio, to your ears, I hope you love these songs as much as I do.”
He made the right choice with ‘You & Me’; the relaxed closing track, aglow with endearingly candid lyrics and whimsical mentions of elephants. The final note is one of an artist confident in their sound and identity; a collection of tracks with undoubted optimism and promise for the future.
Slow EP Tracklisting: Slow / Somewhere / Silver Lining / Not Good / Plan B / You & Me
Listen here
TWELVE INCH 