Hatchie

For a fledgling dream-pop artist, there is no greater indicator that you’re doing something right than getting a co-sign from a former member of the Cocteau Twins. Such was the glorious fate that befell Hatchie’s 2017 breakthrough single “Sure”, which received an extra layer of shimmer through a remix from Cocteau captain Robin Guthrie. The Brisbane artist—born Harriette Pilbeam in 1993—wasn’t always so enamoured with gauzy guitar effects: As bassist/vocalist for local quartet Babaganoüj, Pilbeam favoured a scrappier style rooted in indie rock’s early-’90s golden age. But as Hatchie, she’s toned down the distortion and broadened her sonic palette to achieve a perfect balance of sparkling pop melody, hazy texture and strobe-lit groove. After her 2019 debut album, Keepsake, landed her in the Australian Top 30, Hatchie signed to indie institution Secretly Canadian for 2022’s Giving the World Away, whose house-powered lead single, “This Enchanted”, revealed an even bolder, festival-ready vision.