HANNAH MACKLIN "The Essence" (Hopestreet)
Add Date: 4/18/2023
Release Date: 4/13/2023
FCC: Clean
Formats: Non-Comm AAA, NACC Top 200, NACC R&B/Soul
RIYL: Solange, Cleo Sol, Bjork
Meanjin Vocalist Hannah Macklin Shares New Single ‘The Essence’ And Announces LP ‘Mu’ A slow burning, joyful piece of neo-soul that builds from a sparse beginning to near-orchestral intensity.
Meanjin (Brisbane) based artist Hannah Macklin releases her new single, The Essence, and announces her debut LP, Mu. The Essence is out on April 13th and Mu is available everywhere on June 2nd through Hopestreet Recordings.
The Essence is a slow burning, joyful piece of neo-soul that builds from a sparse beginning to near-orchestral intensity. Soaring strings and and rich keyboards are supported by punchy drums and bass and arranged around the centerpiece of Hannah’s luminous vocals. From the opening lyrics, ““If you could look into my heart, you would see that I love hard,” to the chorus of “I will never stop calling love The Essence” Hannah’s intentions are clear. In her words: “I felt the world needed a song written from this place. It's a love song but it's not about me or for me; it's for everyone and everything...”
Hannah, a multi-instrumentalist, also plays organ on the track and the string arrangements are her own. Her collaborators on this tune include producer Nick Herrera and Hiatus Kaiyote’s Simon Mavin on Rhodes and Paul Bender in a rare appearance on the cello. Esther Henderson’s violin playing is exceptional, bassist Tom Hinchliffe is steady as a rock and drummer Myka Wallace sits in the perfect pocket, restrained yet propulsive throughout. Of her arrangement Hannah says: “Musically, the song's form and harmonic structure is rotational and evolving; it doubles back on itself with small additions, repeating slightly larger sections each time. This was a purposeful choice and carefully crafted to evoke a feeling of infinity.”
The Essence is the second single from Mu, following Stars, which was released in February. Mu is a glittering journey through cosmic orchestral neo-soul where jazz-informed vocals and production merge with triphop and prog influences, joining the dots between Homegenic era Bjork or Portishead and contemporary artists like Solange or Cleo Sol. Preorders for Mu, (out June 2nd) are now available through Hopestreet Recordings, Bandcamp or your favourite record store.
The Essence is released on Thursday 13th April, with LP Mu out Friday 2nd June 2023 via Hopestreet Recordings.