Becca Hatch x Crash
Becca Hatch
The Kamilaroi/Samoan artist rose to wider attention after winning triple j Unearthed High’s Indigenous Initiative in 2017, though in the years that followed, Becca has established herself as a dynamic artist whose voice and style adds a beautiful flair to the current wave of Australian artists bringing RnB-centric music back to the fore.
Sometimes you hear something and it's instant gratification for your aural senses because, like a sweet familiar taste, it's something you can internally pigeonhole. The new single Crash by Becca Hatch is such a song.
The opening Slowdive lone guitar had me from the get-go and I was pleased to find it again in the choruses, returned like an old mate.
This is such a mature song; lyrically and in the gentle temperance it's delivered with. By mature, I merely mean... wise in its message of "yeah shit gets real sometimes, but there's always a tomorrow so... hang on" but the structure itself is grounded in forgotten basics and, despite not being aware of Becca's catalogue before this, every note of this composition is just perfect.
Another real charm is the restraint with which she holds back her vocal delivery. It's patently clear to anyone with ears - despite any example in this particular song, that this lady could crush this song with those types of all-pervading BIG vocal assaults often found in Beyoncé's and Adele's most emotive moments, but Becca allows the every-person to sing along here - and why not? It is, after all, a relatable message; devoid of gender or anything so specific that you couldn't find it relevant to your situation.
In the debates over Katy Perry's appearance at an Australian football halftime show, talkback radio is awash with random suggestions of which local artist would be best to replace her. It's more of a crime to me that people like Becca don't even have a profile bigger than the stable of old acts put forward as alternatives... an ignorant hypocrisy in fact.
The producer has had a field day with this track, so many lush reference points from the aforementioned Slowdive and their WOS kinsmen to Sia, to The Sundays and some of those 90's English artists that managed to weave a blanket of comfort over the clicking indifference of sampled drums. This track is like a warm bath and credit to all involved.
Ps, Producer Person. I absolutely loved that staccato effect before the last chorus that implied a build...to only just peter out to a much more rewarding experience as opposed to something cliché.
Lyrics: So good so relatable and reassuring // Composition: Faultless // Production: Congratulations. So tremendously rewarding to deep-listed to // Performance: Such restraint, such understatement. Thank you, Becca
Becca Hatch’s single ‘Crash’ available 9 August, 2024