Album Review: Hatchie – Keepsake

Hatchie is living proof as to how 'the next big thing' can fly under the radar. She served for around six years in Babaganouj and the Go Violets before her solo Sugar & Spice EP started to make waves in 2018. Ironically enough, her optimistic dream-pop sound syncs well with her career trajectory, as she’s been steadily gaining an international audience since. 

Hatchie is retro in the sense that her influences – Cocteau Twins, The Sundays and Kylie, for her music is pop at heart – are obvious, but the spirit of her music is focused on the right here, right now. Bright, glossy and optimistic, her sound wraps up even her feelings of uncertainty and vulnerability in an aura of beauty. Her confidence in omitting early singles is justified by the many sharply written songs here. Without A Blush is pure class, underpinned by an instantly infectious percussion line, while Keep ends the album with an irresistible sense of momentum. Keepsake is a shining example of how pop music can be dynamic, singular and surprising, and like the title suggests, something worth holding onto.