Today marks the first new release of music in 2020 from Tamworth indie musician Hattie Oates, in the form of the beautiful, ethereal dark-pop ballad 'High' that evokes comparisons to BANKS and, more locally, Vera Blue.
A song about that moment when a crush first plants itself inside your head, it begins with a raw, rustic acoustic guitar and Hattie's brooding vocals before it oozes beautifully into an electronic-fused pop ear worm that'll have you nodding along."I wrote this song about that feeling you get when you have a new, little crush and no matter how hard you try to ignore it, you can't help the tingling butterflies in your belly!" exclaims Hattie.
"Especially when they catch you off guard and you feel like your heart is about to jump from your chest. That little adrenaline rush."
'High' was recorded at Yap Yap Studios in Sydney and mastered by Ben Feggens (Mallrat, Vera Blue, RÜFÜS DU SOL).
Who is Hattie Oates? I'm just a gal that loves music so much that I want to try and make a living out of it.
I don't actually remember when I decided music was my thang, but I just remember watching my brother learn guitar and then jumping onto YouTube and watching song tutorials. And that's pretty much where it all started.
I sound like... If Missy Higgins, Amy Winehouse and Adele had a baby, that would be me, except probably not quite as good, haha! Well, at least that's for you to judge.
My first gig was... At one of my school teachers, mum's 50th. I think I was in year 6 and I had a repertoire of approximately 15 songs, and I sung those 15 songs on repeat for the whole night. I hope they didn't notice ;)
When did you settle on the group's name, and was it a unanimous decision? It's just me, myself and I, for now. And the name's pretty simple. It's my name! But I must say, I have always loved the idea of a cool stage name, so you never know.
In the studio I usually... Munch on crazy amounts of VaporDrops, because I always seem to get sick right before recording. I know, how convenient. I just tell myself that it's all for the sexy rasp.
If I could tour with anyone... It would be Dua Lipa, Lime Cordiale, Sofi Tukker, Alicia Keys or Adele.
Social media is... Good, bad, and everything in between.
My favourite app at the moment is... Voice Memos. Strictly for my ears only, but if you must know, it's like a songbook with random recordings of lyrics, melodies and stuff that comes to my head in the middle of the night. All of which are very rough.
To date, my most embarrassing moment was the time... I slipped over in the school dining hall… oops!
Life on the road can be... A lifestyle I dream of. Even though I have travelled a lot to do gigs, I have only really backed up day after day for maybe a week at most. Months of travelling and gigging all over the world is ultimately the end goal really. Oh hey, maybe you should listen to my songs after you've read this, to help make that become a reality ;)
If you'll have me on your bill, all I ask is that our rider contains... Tea pleeeaaassee!
The most scary scenario I've found myself in, was... Probably when I dropped my phone in the toilet. Watching all my voice memos literally going down the drain... Nah, jokes I found them backed-up on iCloud. But still, that split second. That was scary enough.
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be spokesperson of the band? Oooohh, that's a toughy. Lewis Capaldi. His accent is gold, and everything that comes out of his mouth is hilarious... probably because of his accent.
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party? Ok, this is more than three people buuuut... the whole 'Game Of Thrones' cast, because I'm currently mourning the end of season 8. Jon Snow can sit next to me hehe!
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us? Porridge. Any meal of the day. It's unreal.
No matter the expense, send me a case of... Digestives.
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was... Before corona ☹
What's the one chore you dislike the most? Hanging the washing out.
Do you have any phobias... please explain? Spiders and awkward conversations. Spiders are deadly and awki convos just make me cringe.
Would you ever partake in a reality show? 'Love Island'. Less for the love and more for the free, eight-week holiday. But still.
If you could prank any of your friends, who's your target, and how are you bringing them down? This one is actually for my dad. I would swap his shampoo for pink hair dye... since he gave me a hard time about dying mine pink. What a sight that would be. Love you dad!
