Photo by Desmond Picotte
NYC-based based musician Zoë Brecher has been writing tunes since a very young age, and drumming since she was 10, performing in a stack of outfits (most recently with Benson Boone from American Idol), and releasing short pop songs on Bandcamp since 2016 under the name HUSHPUPPY. She’s a biracial queer representing woman who utilises her skills in songwriting to craft meaningful compositions to navigate the world around her, process emotions and experiences, stating that “With my music, I want to make people feel good, and I want them to know they are not alone when they don’t.”
Her latest release Nervous is a heavier and more polished offering from her DIY pop roots, showcasing her diversity as a songwriter, and growth as an artist who records all of her music herself from her apartment in Manhattan. With purposeful chops from the drums, steady punches from the bass, gritty strums and trills from electric guitars, and her dreamy vocals delivering beautiful melodies and authentic lyrics like “sometimes I’m feeling nervous and I know I’m not the only one”.
On the track, HUSHPUPPY shares that “As someone who suffers from anxiety and depression, I often struggle to leave the house. This song is about acknowledging I’m not the only one who feels that way. Although it’s a tough subject, it’s a hopeful song. It starts with me singing alone, feeling small, then shifts to a virtual ensemble of people singing with me who feel the same. We are stronger together, and by the end there’s a sense of hope and clarity -- yet slight unease -- that by working with each other we can help one another. There’s power in knowing I’m not alone and I hope you can feel that in the song.”
Out today as part of Hardly Art 15 (sharing 15 new singles from 15 faves for Hardly Art’s 15th anniversary) feel the strength and clarity of Nervous below.
HUSHPUPPY’s Nervous is out now via Hardly Art / Sub Pop
Follow HUSHPUPPY: Instagram
