Edinburgh songwriter Hamish Hawk speaks to Jason Barnard about his superb new album ‘Heavy Elevator’, a record dense with imagery and humour already making waves at BBC 6 Music.
Hi Hamish, congratulations on the release of ‘Heavy Elevator’. What was the writing process for it?
Heavy Elevator is the result of the best part of three years’ worth of songwriting. I wouldn’t say any of the songs on the album were predestined to feature on it; it was more or less after writing Heavy Elevator (the title track) that we started to notice family resemblances between songs, and that the record started to take shape. Andy, Stefan and I threw demos around between us, chopping and changing as we went, a few rewrites and reconfigurations here and there, and eventually we had the ten tracks you hear now.
‘New Rhododendrons’ seems to reflect domestic life and the passage of time. What does it mean to you?
New Rhododendrons was written after a series of upheavals in my life. The dust settled somewhat, and the song came about thanks to a clean slate and a new perspective. It’s a notable track for me because I challenged myself to work through things in plain speaking; there are lyrical choices in there I had been too cautious to make in any song prior. In hindsight maybe New Rhododendrons was a bit of a turning point.
How did you record Heavy Elevator? Was it a quick process?
The band and I set up camp in Post Electric Studio, Edinburgh, for two weeks, which is by no means an exhaustive length of time in which to record an album, but it was the longest we had ever spent recording so it felt like a definite step-up. We were all so fiercely committed to the project; the recording time went by in a flash.
What led you to meeting and collaborating with Rod Jones of Idlewild?
Rod introduced himself when the band and I performed at the Iona Village Hall Music Festival on the Isle of Iona back in 2016. He said he was interested in recording some sessions with us, and we were all really keen. The rest is history really; chats about ‘the music’ became more and more in-depth, a few meetings were held, a few support slots with Idlewild were promptly snapped up, and here we are. His guidance and experience has been a huge benefit to us; I’m looking forward to continuing to collaborate in the future.
‘Caterpillar’ has a Joy Division feel, tied to more surrealist lyrics. Is that something you aimed for?
Caterpillar is the result of a day spent writing in a cafe, listening to Madonna and drinking filter coffee by the bucketful. Caffeine is pretty conducive to angst unsurprisingly, so I think it might be the reason for the song’s post-punk jitters. The lyrics weren’t purposefully surreal, but were certainly trying to create something of a threatening atmosphere. I’d never painted with that palette before, but it seems it definitely struck a chord with the world in lockdown.
I love ‘The Mauritian Badminton Doubles Champion, 1973’. What’s the story behind it?
Simply put, it’s a joyous pop song about death. It concerns itself with how we might be remembered, how our life’s achievements (if that’s the right word) might represent us when we’re gone. I don’t know how many of us wonder what our epitaph might be. Christopher Wren’s reads like a cathedral.
Your music videos are very distinctive, typified by ‘Calls to Tiree’. Who have you worked with on your latest videos?
The video for Calls to Tiree, in which a jester prances around on a desolate beach, was dreamed up by my friend and bandmate Andrew Pearson, and I owe him a real debt of gratitude for it. I couldn’t have imagined a more fitting visual accompaniment to the song. Quite often I struggle to achieve a certain distance from my songs, and from what I see as their defining features. Incorporating Andy’s take on the songs allows for an entirely new, and often leftfield visual language to establish itself, and it makes it really exciting for me. Ellen De Faux, who directed the Caterpillar video, achieved precisely the same thing. Both Andy and Ellen had an innate sense for would work; I was more than happy to sit back and watch it unfold.
How does Heavy Elevator compare with your previous material?
Heavy Elevator is the most fully formed album I’ve ever recorded. I think the songs are bigger, more daring, and probably more vulnerable too. There’s a maturity and a confidence in there that simply comes with the passage of time. But I think it’s clear we took the time to consider and reconsider what we were doing more so than we did on previous records. We worked really hard on it, and I think it shows.
Where are you from and where are you based now? What is the music scene like?
I’m from Edinburgh and have lived here most of my life. Writing and performing here for as long as I have, I’ve found I often have to offer some justification for why I haven’t relocated to Glasgow, or London, or any other city popularly considered to be more ‘hospitable’ to local music. Honestly I’ve found Edinburgh’s music scene suits me to a tee. There is no shortage of hugely dedicated musicians and venue owners here, and personally I’ve found the scene really nurturing. I think it’s only improving with time as well.
You play a brilliant version of Suzanne .What artists, including Leonard Cohen, have influenced you and why?
It goes without saying that Leonard Cohen has influenced my songwriting hugely; I think you’d struggle to find a lyricist who says otherwise. He’s one amongst many lyrical heroes of mine, though. Others include Stephin Merritt (of The Magnetic Fields), Randy Newman, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Nick Cave, Dory Previn, Vic Chesnutt. They tell their own stories their own way and spare little thought for how anyone might feel about that. I admire them all tremendously.
How has the pandemic affected you?
I think my answer might continue to change and expand over the coming months, but one of the most valuable lessons of lockdown that comes to mind is to be kinder to myself. I have a hard time sitting still, so in any other situation I might have flagellated myself for being so idle. I think I’m learning to resist that urge more often. I think it’s a dangerous notion, that we should attempt to justify ourselves along the lines of how much we’ve produced on any given day. It’s one thing to keep busy, it’s another to punish yourself for not monetising every moment.
Do you have any plans to play live?
Absolutely. We’re currently making cautious plans for this year and next, so fingers crossed before too long we’ll be playing in a venue near you. Just try and stop me!
New album ‘Heavy Elevator’ out September 17th – pre-order now via https://ffm.bio/hamishhawk
See also hamishhawk.com
