Wales is no stranger to psychedelic, slightly odd-ball musicians, it has after all, nurtured the aberrant talents of everyone from Y Niwl, Super Furry Animals, Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci and We Are Animal.
Now we can welcome Cardiff based H. Hawkline to this illustrious list. His rough ‘n’ ready approach fuses his experimental whims with gentle, somewhat surreal lyrics into songs that are beautiful, easy to listen to and startlingly strange at the same time. These odd ball eccentricities come to the fore in everything he does.
Take the title track of his new EP, ‘Black Domino Box’. It is upbeat and bright, revolving around a gently strummed acoustic guitar before veering off into a slightly warped space normally occupied by Syd Barrett or HMHB. A marvelous, exciting and special talent.
It’s probably best for Gruff Rhys, who oversaw proceedings, to have the last word “H.Hawkline is the beatiest thing to emerge from Lundy Island since the 2007 Norovirus outbreak”. You’ll hear no quarrel from this quarter.
Black Domino Box is set for release August 20, via Trash Aesthetics, and followed by a pretty extensive UK tour.