The Debrief: Hamish Hawk — Yuck Magazine

Feb 6

Feb 6 The Debrief: Hamish Hawk

“A series of recurring numerical patterns or sequences which those who believe in such things invest with cosmic significance.” That’s the definition for ‘Angel Numbers’, the aptly named new album from Scottish songwriter Hamish Hawk, who since the release of his previous record ‘Heavy Elevator’ in 2021, has built a cult-like following of admirers, who’ve steadfastly fallen head over heels for his crooning, heartfelt lyricism, cinematic soundscapes and pop-culture references that are delicately placed in his tracks.

Despite a more than fruitful spell in the industry, spending the best part of a decade releasing music under several different monikers, Hamish Hawk has finally found his feet. The door had been creaking open for some time; he’s been making music fervently since 2014, when he self-released ‘Aznavour’ as Hamish James Hawk, quickly following it up with his ‘Mull’ EP, before forming Hamish Hawk & The New Outfit, members of which make up his current band.

After gigging incessantly, and building a reputation for his visceral and compelling live performances, the pandemic soon hit and put a stop to a lot of the momentum. While many artists found the time creatively draining, Hawk and fellow band member Andrew Pearson holed themselves up, sometimes “writing and recording a song in a day.” This self-dubbed purple patch led to the formation of his new studio full-length ‘Angel Numbers’; the changing conditions under which the album was made led to a new outlook on creating for Hawk. “I certainly did find that I was very restricted in my everyday movements and that gave me a sort of clear focus that maybe sometimes I’m looking for,” he honestly opines as we begin our conversation.

So firstly, you’ve been involved in music for quite some time now recording under several different iterations before arriving where you are today with Hamish Hawk. Was there a sense of finding your sonic identity across those several releases?

I think that’s actually a good way of putting it... we had quite a few discussions between me, Andrew and Stefan my two principal collaborators. We had a few conversations about it. And ‘Heavy Elevator’ felt sort of, in a way quite fitting of... it’s not a debut, but it’s a debut of sorts, it’s definitely the most definitive musical statement that I’ve ever been involved in, I would say. It was the end result of a fair few years worth of songwriting. I would say maybe about three years, if not more. I’m sure there are a lot of verses and choruses and fragments of the songs that come from way back when. As much as I’m proud of all of my previous records and really privileged to be involved in the recording of all of them, ‘Heavy Elevator’ definitely felt like a step on a new path.

What does that journey represent for you? You know, do you look back at all? Do you reflect on it much?

Firmly looking towards the future; you’ll maybe go through periods in your life where you contemplate what came before a little bit more, but I’m firmly looking toward the future at the moment. I’m proud of everything I’ve done up to this point... it’s funny you should ask because I was listening to my first-ever record, the first thing I ever put out quite recently, and I don’t really remember what it was like to be that person. I’m sure we all have paths and faith, but remembering exactly who you were is a strange thing. It kind of leaves you. So I don’t remember exactly who I was in the past. But yeah, Hamish Hawk as it stands now is where I want to be.

It’s fair to say that ‘Heavy Elevator’ propelled you towards a whole new audience; the album also made several end-of-year lists, winning a few awards in the process. Do you feel like there’s a higher level of expectation this time around and how have you dealt with that?

I mean, absolutely. It’s funny because, on the one hand, it’s the first time I’ve ever released music in the wake of a moderately successful record. So it’s a new adventure. It’s something that I’ve never had to think of before; I’ve always quite successfully been able to write and record as if no one was listening... I think usually because people weren’t listening, so on the one hand, there’s more pressure that comes with that, the pressure of expectation. On the other hand, because ‘Heavy Elevator’ was successful in some sense, it vindicated the whole process. So I almost feel slightly less worried than I might and feel quietly confident about the songs.

““A lot of my songwriting is very personal to me, and it’s about things that have really happened to me, so it was difficult at first. I mean, they do say limitation is the mother of invention… or something like that””

You’ve spoken about the previous album being a culmination of a few years worth of work. What’s changed for you sonically between now and then?

So ‘Heavy Elevator’ was definitely quite a few years’ worths of songwriting, whereas ‘Angel Numbers’ is a much tighter period of time, predominantly in lockdown; we went through a real creative patch where we were writing pretty much a song a day for a little period. I’m not used to that quicker turnaround, usually, so this taught me to have a bit more reckless abandon with them and enjoy the songwriting process a lot more. I would say musically, it’s a bit softer, and more contemplative. Probably slower in parts as well. I think ‘Heavy Elevator’ was quite bombastic, whereas I think ’Angel Numbers’ turns the volume down slightly, turns the tempo down, and moves into new musical territory as well.

You’ve mentioned that you wrote a lot of songs during the pandemic with Andrew Pearson. You called it a purple patch in the bio — how did you remain creative and inspired during a time when we’d spend 23 hours a day indoors?

In a way it was quite surprising to me that I was so creatively stimulated during that time, there was definitely a period, right as things started, where it felt like you were in a rut. I wasn’t going to get anywhere, even if I put the pen to paper there wasn’t going to be any fruits of my labour that way. You know, a lot of my songwriting is very personal to me, and it’s about things that have really happened to me, so it was difficult at first. I mean, they do say limitation is the mother of invention… or something like that.

There’s quite a lot of themes on the record, mentions of Dylan Thomas and David Hockney, Napoleon, The Dalis, even Elvis Presley, I guess what I’m asking is what do you look for to inspire you when you’re crafting songs?

Well, it’s tricky... say someone like David Hockney, he has a real significance to me in a personal sense, in various ways, right? Usually when I involve a reference, whether it’s Napoleon, whether it’s David Hockney, whether it’s Dylan Thomas or Christopher Wren, they sum up something for me personally. I don’t want people to think that I’m shoehorning references in to appear literate, wise or worldly. That’s not it at all, but I’ve got a bit of a collector’s memory, so things like that... place names and words. Lots of these references are all about the sound of the words and so on. As much as the references need to have that personal connection, you can bank on me not bringing it in for a frivolous reason. I just don’t like to share too much about the ins and outs of what songs mean because I think it’s important to keep the interpretation open.

You write from a personal perspective, or at least it seems that way. Is there anything that you leave out when writing, or is it cathartic to put it all on the page?

I don’t think so... or at least I haven’t left anything out. I’m never overly worried about revealing too much of myself; it’s difficult for me to know quite what my songs sound like to someone who isn’t me. I don’t know what the songs say about me, I could make some guesses, but I think on the whole there, it’s completely out of my control; I can’t direct how people will react to the songs. And insofar as that’s true, I can’t spend too much time worrying about it either. Once the songs are recorded, they don’t belong to me anymore.

““I love living my life this way, and I don’t take these things for granted at all. I do have some hopes for the future, but I’m sort of keeping them to myself and just enjoying the ride””

I like that analogy. You’ve worked with a wide range of collaborators... Anna B Savage and Samantha Crane both guested on ‘Angel Numbers’. What is it about working with other artists that you love?

I just think they’re really amazing songwriters. Oddly enough, I met both of them in very similar circumstances, which was sort of backstage, and we just hit it off. I’m hugely grateful to them on a musical level for being involved. But they’re also friends of mine, so it was a personal involvement as well. I think as I get older, I’m more and more excited about collaboration. I think there was a period in my early career when I wanted to do it all. And in the end, I realised that the songs that I have in my head are being best brought to life by involving people that I love and respect, who are truly gifted in their own senses, and that’s so exciting. It goes without saying, collaboration is probably riskier for everyone involved, but once you start working, you really start seeing the benefits of it. Then the benefits far outweigh any worries that you have.

Lastly, you’ve had a stellar few years… what’s next for you? What are your hopes and aspirations for the near-to-distant future?

I’ve always tried to keep my expectations under control. If I have some far-off sort of dream, I can more quickly get disappointed when it doesn’t happen. That said, it’s important to have goals, so it’s a push and pull between those things. But this year, we have our UK tour and February, up in that country, which we’re really excited about. Following that, from March, all the way through the summer will be a string of festival appearances; we’re hoping to populate our summer with a lot of festivals. We also have the bulk of a new album written, so that will be recorded at some point... I’m in it for the long game. The opportunities we’ve been given in the past year, are just beyond my wildest dreams; the people we’ve met and the things we’ve done. So, with any luck, more things will come. I love living my life this way, and I don’t take these things for granted at all. I do have some hopes for the future, but I’m sort of keeping them to myself and just enjoying the ride.