Review
Review
Album Review: Hamish Hawk – Angel Numbers
One of Edinburgh's brightest songwriters continues to expand his lustrous and enchanting universe
Sonorous and splendidly Scottish, the voice of Hamish Hawk is one that commands attention, one that gives his storytelling nowhere to hide. Luckily for him, as his 2021 breakthrough album, Heavy Elevator, proved, he has quite a knack for it, unfurling lines of vivid vignettes with space for laughter and intrigue.
On Angel Numbers, the Edinburgh songwriter continues to stir imagery with confidence and curiosity. “There’ll be Angel Numbers/ Stitches in your wedding dress,” he sings on the jumpy title-track, somehow sweeping the everyday along with the metaphysical, “Divorce papers/ In visions of your death.”
Teleporting at the turn of a phrase remains one of Hawk’s lyrical strengths, as on the wavering ‘Bridget St. John’, where we depart a Berlin rooftop for a West Sussex bookshop and a long walk in London. On the floating country lilt of ‘Rest & Veneers’, therapist and dentist become one.
The track features Oklahoman singer Samantha Crain, one of the several flourishes that distinguish Angel Numbers from its predecessor, such as Anna B Savage’s striking contribution on ‘Frontman’. But collaborations aside, the changes in pace and dynamics are greater here, making moments such as ‘Desperately’ and ‘Think Of Us Kissing’ more explosive and glorious.
Released: 3 Feb 2023
Label: Post Electric
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On Tour: Hamish Hawk tickets available here
