'The Voice Of The Blood': Hannah McKittrick On Cinematic Debut 'Together', And New Single ‘Crowd Scene’

Hannah McKittrick is a Naarm/Melbourne-based singer-songwriter who has been sprinkling ambient anthems within the alternative rock genre. In early August, McKittrick released her newest single, Crowd Scene, which was coincidentally unveiled a year after her last single, Utensil.

Within the Naarm/Melbourne music scene, McKittrick has also performed with alt-country band Quality Used Cars, as well as shared the stage with Julia Jacklin, US outfit Florist, Maple Glider, and Angie McMahon on her most recent UK/EU tour. As well as writing music, McKittrick is active in the radio space, hosting the cult Sunday night community radio programme Soak on PBS FM.

Not only that, but if you’ve recently seen the American-Australian horror movie Together, then you would’ve also heard McKittrick’s slow-moving and sometimes haunting vocal work utilised within the score.

Clearly, McKittrick has been very busy as of late, especially with recently performing rare headline tours at Phoenix Central Park in Sydney and The Tote in her home state. 

Even when having the chance to talk with her, Hannah was still in her car at the airport in Sydney, having dropped off a friend. Regardless, she was still beaming with excitement and enthusiasm about her new song, her career so far, and what’s to come.

Growing up, McKittrick listened to a lot of Celtic music and Australian rock. She also had parents that highly encouraged her and her brother to learn and play music. “My brother and I learnt fiddle and then later came to other instruments,” says McKittrick. “My brother also learnt bagpipes in his mid-20s, which is epic!”

While attending jazz school at the Victorian College of the Arts, McKittrick would meet her future drummer, Ollie Cox, who had the same secret folk yearnings that they didn’t have the opportunity to explore. 

“I felt so drawn to him and his sensitivity; he's an incredibly dynamic player and can just bring so much attentiveness and respect to the music he's playing,” says McKittrick. Cox is also known for playing in local bands like Juice Webster, Armlock, and Local The Neighbour.

McKittrick would also meet guitarist Theo Cabro through mutual music friends and was struck by his musical voice, which she described as crystal clear, bold, otherworldly and transportive. Cabro has also produced, recorded and mixed McKittrick’s solo performances, including Crowd Scene.

“It's one of my great fortunes in this life to have found Ollie and Theo so early, and I just hope I can play with them for as long as they want to play with me,” says McKittrick. “I imagine them bringing my songs to life because they're just so close to my heart.”

Released earlier this month, on August 8th, Crowd Scene acts as an almost seven-minute-long meditative soundscape. When discussing the themes and inspiration of Crowd Scene, McKittrick was very passionate in wanting to capture the feeling and beauty of people gathering for the same reason. 

“There's a lyric in Crowd Scene where I say, ‘I want to be brushed by a polite stranger,’ and I just love that feeling of being in a gig and someone says, ‘Excuse me, sorry,’ and I'm like, ‘Yes, come through!’” she explains

“We can be so sweet to each other and be so cruel to each other, but I believe that that sweetness is innate, and I want to remember that because it gives me hope and power.”

McKittrick specifically cited the Free Palestine rallies she’d attend in Melbourne on Sundays and the empowering and united feelings from the crowd all wanting peace, as well as being an antidote to the despair of the circumstances taking place. 

“In my own small way, I wanted to make a reminder of the beauty of being united and try and help add to that discourse that we are connected and we're all the same,” she says. “Despite being incredibly unique individuals, there is a shared experience, and it's our responsibility to love each other as best as we can.”

There was also a central question posed in Tom Robbins' psychedelic 1980 novel Still Life With Woodpecker; ’How do you make love stay?’, to which Hannah’s response was how being in a crowd can give a feeling of eternal love and how people can belong to everyone and everything.

When describing the ambient and slow-burn vibes of Crowd Scene, McKittrick described how her own personal tastes would drive the sound she envisioned. “I like big loud drums and sounds of loud electric guitar, so I imagine those things when writing, and I want to have them in it because it's fun.”

In conjunction with the release of the song, she has also released a music video, which was filmed by Ollie Cox, who brought what she described as a beautiful perspective on the abstract. 

“I love the way he sees the world, especially how he focuses on small gestures and moments,” she explains. The black and white video includes Hannah’s friends gathered at an iconic Melbourne fountain listening to a speech while also lingering on small gestures and moments.

Having recently performed Crowd Scene in front of a live audience, Hannah was very proud of her intended themes being executed in a real-life setting. “Playing Crowd Scene live to a real-life crowd feels like a full-circle completion of the concept; it’s very satisfying,” says McKittrick.

In the radio circles, McKittrick began doing graveyard shift hosting duties on community station PBS FM, which eventually led to her hosting Sunday nights on her own segment, Soak. 

“I just love it; it's so fun to imagine everyone in their own spaces or cars, and they're listening to the same music,” she says. “The text line is a beautiful part of it because I get to hear what they're all doing; it feels like I'm experiencing something with other people as well.”

Hannah also described how hosting radio helps refine her taste in music while also keeping her sharp in discovering new music. “There's so much amazing music in Melbourne, and it’s a nice way to stay connected,” says McKittrick. “It’s lovely to have a platform to share music that’s a bit more out left of field or avant-garde. PBS is such a great celebrator of that.”

In another corner of Hannah’s blossoming career, she made her cinematic debut as part of the score of Together by fellow Melbournites Cornel Wilczek and Alex Oliynyk. The duo created the rich tapestry of a score, and Hannah was brought in to rerecord over the vocals.

“I loved the experience; it was so fun for me getting to watch the scene as I sang my part,” says McKittrick. “There was this long glissando that covered an octave and a half, and I had to time it with my singing.”

Written and directed by another Melbournite, Michael Shanks, and starring Hollywood couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie, McKittrick’s vocals can be heard during very pivotal and horrifying moments.

“When we went to watch the movie, my friend said I should have been credited as the voice of the blood!” says McKittrick. “It was such a freaky movie, and I don't have much of an appetite for horror!”

Looking ahead, McKittrick is continuing to live the independent artist life by slowly chipping away at her new record by releasing new songs while also juggling her day jobs. “I don't really feel any sense of rush; I just want it to be truthful, and I trust that it'll get done as it needs to,” says McKittrick.

Hannah McKittrick continues her Australian tour in support of Crowd Scene with a hometown show at The Tote in Melbourne on Thursday, August 21st. Tickets are on sale now.

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