Hawk confronts his skeletons and finds release by showing them to the world
It's rare to witness an artist deliver a profound breakthrough record and then surpass it, not just once, but twice. Yet, Hamish Hawk is no ordinary artist. His 2021 breakthrough LP Heavy Elevator and 2023's critically-acclaimed Angel Numbers were monumental, transformative moments in his career, and for his third album A Firmer Hand, Hawk has once again risen to the challenge.
A Firmer Hand sees him delving deeper into his soul than ever before, unearthing uncomfortable truths he previously avoided. The album is bound by the previously unspoken, stemming from feelings of guilt, shame, repression, embarrassment and coyness. Hawk doesn’t always cast himself as the hero; he's aware that not everything he shares will always present him in a favourable light. Yet, he has embraced this, accepting the discomfort as a sign that he's on the right path.
As the puzzle pieces of the album came together, beginning with ‘Machiavelli’s Room’ and followed by ‘Milk an Ending’ and ‘Juliet as Epithet’, it emerged that the songs revolved around a common theme: Hawk’s relationships with men, whether they be friends, lovers, family, or colleagues. There is a sense that Hawk didn’t make a conscious decision to craft the album around this, but it revealed itself to him, and he had to be brave enough to allow it to happen, even though it made him nervous to do so.
A Firmer Hand doesn’t overshadow or diminish the power of Hawk’s previous work; he hasn’t deceived his fans, withheld any parts of himself, or made anything up. Instead, he is simply exploring new dimensions of himself, evolving as both a songwriter and person. Much like a new diary chapter, A Firmer Hand is an autobiographical representation of where he is at in life right now, as he continues to share his ongoing journey with the listener.
Inescapable introspection: Hamish Hawk (photo credit: Michaela Simpson)
And ultimately, the album remains true to Hawk’s ethos. His career has always been an exercise against conforming to genre, and A Firmer Hand is no different. ‘Big Cat Tattoos’ has a propulsively funky energy, while ‘Disingenuous’ evokes the taut rockabilly-roll of early Smiths. Elsewhere, ‘Christopher St.’ is a fragile moment, in a formal piano setting, and ‘Men Like Wire’ is twisting indie-rock with a rousing chorus.
From noirish twang to pulsing electronica, Hawk continues to refuse to let himself be pigeonholed, relying on the consistency of his core team to ensure the cohesiveness of the album. Produced by Idlewild’s Rod Jones at Post Electric Studios in Leith, Edinburgh, and written alongside Andrew Pearson (guitars) and Stefan Maurice (keyboards and drums), with Alex Duthie (bass) and John Cashman (keyboards), Hawk kept his trusted collaborators around him.
By the album's end, Hawk finds himself in a place where he can make uneasy peace with his revelations. Album closer ‘The Hard Won’ concludes with no explanation or clean ending, but Hawk has simply created a space for himself to voice what he needed to say at this point in his life. A Firmer Hand represents Hawk's process of confronting his skeletons, and finding release by showing them to the world. It's as simple - and as complex - as that.
Rating: 8.2/10
A Firmer Hand is out on Friday (16 August) via SO Recordings
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