Hassall - Press Kit

PRESS KIT

BIO

Hassall is a singer-songwriter & self-confessed rambler from the bottom right corner of regional Victoria. Stirring together addictive countrysoulsex-esque vocals, taboo topics & lyrics relatable in the way you don’t want to admit, she emerges into a style self-described as ‘Australian Sharehouse Pop’.

June 2nd marked the release of Hassall’s latest single ‘Bad Boy’. It’s the second track to be rolled out in the lead up to EP ‘Hot Girls, Rock Bands, Star Wars’ - and Hassall’s most pumping track to date. Lyrics follow the musings of a shy girl who dates tough guys that give her the sense of rebellion she has always craved... ‘A girl can dream of stepping out of line / Instead I just go for a boy that I know ain’t good for me’. Frontwoman & songwriter Matilda Hassall’s words are, as usual, the centerpiece of the song. Insanely melodic vocal hooks and almost tongue-twisting, wordy phrases pull the listener into a story that, at the core, is about feeling as if you haven’t lived hard enough. ‘I wish I’d been expelled, or just suspended / but fate can’t be commanded…’

It is clear that the band have taken large steps sonically since their most recent single ‘Out Of Date’, and even more so since their 2022 debut EP 'For The Furniture To Hear’, which featured singles ‘Have You Told Your Mother About Me?’ and ‘Mr Therapist’. All past examples showcase the same lyrically dense, blatantly Aussie charm as ‘Bad Boy’ but none veer towards unashamed pop-rock style quite like this latest release.

Central to Hassall’s charm is her natural ability to connect with a live audience. Those lucky enough to have caught a set are familiar with the ease at which she can turn a roomful of pint-guzzlers dead silent. Bordering on stand-up, Hassall’s Aussie drawl pulls you willingly from story, to song, to unrelated shower-thought, and back, somehow tying it all together with her hilariously authentic on-stage demeanour. A full spectrum of emotions are uncovered; by the end of the set, even the door person is belly laughing one minute, wiping away sad tears the next.

This captivating live show has landed her on festival stages such as By The Pier 2022 (VIC), White Night 2022 (Geelong, VIC), Macedon Ranges Music Festival 2021 (VIC), Grampians Music Festival 2020 (VIC), and Queenscliff Music Festival 2019 (VIC), where she took out first place in their annual ‘Foot-In-The-Door’ competition. Other recent notable Hassall shows include supporting You Am I at Torquay Hotel (Oct 2022) and Gabriella Cohen at Barwon Club Hotel (Mar 2022). The band sold out every last lane at their local bowling alley for their radically unique ‘Out Of Date’ launch show March just gone. On top of that, Hassall has received celebrated airplay on Triple J Unearthed Radio, Underground Love PBS, SYN FM, Inner FM, 3MDR, and RPP FM.

“I attend your gigs because your songs tell me more about you than you ever will” - her mother, to her.

CONTACT

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REVIEWS/PRESS

“There’s something really appealing about an artist who makes the most of every lyric and every moment of a track. It’s the mark of a good storyteller and intelligent songwriter when you can hear them pick into every line for maximum meaning and maximum impact”

- Dave Ruby Howe, Triple J Unearthed

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“At only 22 this girl has set her mark as a true lyricist and musician in classic Aussie style”

- Alice McDonald, Forte Magazine

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"It’s hard to be the first to write a song about an important topic, but Hassall’s Out Of Date gets very close to it. This might not be the very first time that someone has complained about the shallowness of modern dating in a song. But it’s certainly the first time that someone has done it so well. Blessed with an incredible singing voice and melodies that should keep a listener glued to their headphones, Hassall might have written a modern-day classic"

- Eduard Banulescu, Alt77 Blog

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"Hassall is a great songwriter and a tour de force"

- Tim Rogers, You Am I

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MUSIC