Hatchie’s debut record induces a warm feeling of déjà vu: There’s something comforting and familiar weaved into her swirling atmosphere of organic guitars and drums. For the right listeners, Keepsake could activate muscle memory obtained from years of ‘90s rock chick karaoke; for others, it could be a dead ringer for more current dream pop. No matter the lens used to examine it, though, the record is an alluring, somewhat enigmatic summertime soundtrack.
Hatchie’s melodies are rarely the sole spectacle of her tracks – especially when the production around them gets as hypnotizing as “Obsessed” and “Keep” – but they certainly keep the sprawling tracks from seeming too aimless. The pleas throughout the chorus of “Stay With Me,” arguably the best of the bunch here, melt like butter over humid guitar chords. And on “Unwanted Guest,” she leans down and falls prey to her own deep guitar riffs, peaking over the surface only in its verses.
The record’s ten tracks meld together – in part to its benefit, as it carries on effortlessly and uninterrupted for nearly 40 minutes, and it part to its detriment, as many of them can’t be pulled apart from one another. Ultimately, it becomes one mirage of shined-up alt-rock and breathy sentiments of longing, and it lasts about as long as a hot and heavy summer fling. But even if sticky and superfluously intense, Keepsake is a heatwave worth enduring.
Keepsake is available now under Double Double Whammy.
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