Monosynths and melancholia: The synth pop highs of ‘Hannah Lew’
The Californian artist excels in her electronic, eponymous debut, supplying synth pop-a-plenty while paying tribute to the genre’s icons.
★★★★☆
Photo: Ginger Fierstein
“One foot out the door / Another in the underworld…”So opens Hannah Lew’s debut, and melancholic opener Time Wasted. Its melancholic, electro-anthem sound will soon become Lew’s signature, bridging the gap between ‘80s new wave pop — OMD, Eurythmics —and modern-day electronica, with funky basslines and catchy, Morse Code-ish, punctuated melodies.
Sunday and Another Twilight — the two lead singles from the self-titled debut— remain some of the genre’s best in a long time, genuinely fresh and exciting while playing to synth-pop’s strengths. There’s a profound liminalism in Lew’s music, approaching sorrow but pulling back at the last minute. It’s the musical equivalent of that gap between twilight and dawn, the soft glow of not-quite-sunlight on the horizon. In my experience, some of the best music there is lies within that niche; Lew doesn’t buck the trend here.
Tracks like Siloed and Replica are straight out of the early new wave playbook, the former especially in that Joy Division or early New Order sound. Move in Silence, meanwhile, explores unmistakably newer ground, echoing the likes of La Roux and Metronomy. It’s one of the standout album tracks, with a pulsing beat as provocative as it is trancey.
The album’s penultimate track (Distance of the Moon) is by far the most sombre tonally, but compelling nonetheless. The record’s finale, the cryptically titled The Clock is more straightforward pop. It’s a tonic to Distance of the Moon’s sobriety; it’s hopeful, a parting of the clouds that lets just a little light in. It’s the ultimate meeting of Lew’s electronica sound and the darker moments of indie rock. It’s a genuinely memorable closer, notoriously big shoes to fill on a first album.
I know it’s an unoriginal position in music, but Hannah Lew really does offer something new in the current musical soundscape. That an artist can so beautifully craft homages to the founding fathers of her genre while building on classic melodies and staple synth hooks is nothing short of crazy. This is undoubtedly one to watch in the coming months, and a guaranteed sleeper hit debut in the making.
Tracklist:
1. Time Wasted
2. Sunday
3. Another Twilight
4. Siloed
5. Replica
6. Damaged Melody
7. Move In Silence
8. Distance Of The Moon
9. The Clock
Hannah Lew is out now via Night School.
