From releasing his debut EP ‘Honey, Where Is My Home’ in 2017, Hazlett has been on a journey of self reflection and growth while finding exactly who he wants to be as an artist. Through moving to Sweden and continuously gigging, he found that spark in the raw intimacy of his storytelling.
‘Thundering Hopes’ is a collection of heavy emotions, nurtured understanding and raw hope. It’s a journey into love, loss and self reflection through a pure soundscape of atmospheric production and humble guitar foundations.
Opening with the vulnerably charged ‘Fireworks’, he immediately has your heart melting as he sings the hopeful hook “We could rise forever, burn into matter. And I could be your firework” . It has this beautiful, romantic and heartbreaking imagery that will have you feeling so many emotions at once as you imagine the fireworks signifying your hope and desires while bursting into the night sky.
With his guitar roots in tact, he harmonises through the verse and chorus as the song builds momentum with the addition of a full band. And during the chorus there is a unique static of fireworks bursting in the background which will have your heart and mind racing as the imagery takes over.
Segueing into ‘Suncats’ he takes those sonical foundations with a light production and intimately explores finding strength during the self-pity stage that follows a break-up. While the song is quite emotional, there is a contrastingly upbeat feel to it which is then explored again on ‘Monsters’ which is an ode to his overthinking dialogue.
From the delicate and soothing guitar riff that leads the verse, he launches into a hook that is quite bold and has a real pop sensibility. Sonically following in the commercial footsteps of Dean Lewis and James Blunt with a Sulfjan Stevens grasp on authenticity, there is an instant pop-folk likability about the sound and feelings he is honing.
‘Easy Now Tiger’ is more intimately penned sonically, which creates a nice breather in the collection. But it’s ‘Karaoke’ that stands out with it’s cinematic build in production. The lightly sounding track is about being there for your friends when they need you most, which sometimes can turn into a night out with Lindsay Lohan.
Hazlett is a storyteller and he is only just beginning to tell the world his story and it sounds pretty magical if you ask me. This EP is cohesively intimate, vulnerable and feels quite special because he has the raw ability to share his intimate thoughts in such a beautiful and relatable manner.