EP Review: Gretel Hänlyn - 'The Head Of The Love Club'
London-based singer-songwriter, Gretel Hänlyn, is back with her new grotesquely unique EP ‘The Head Of The Love Club'.
Hänlyn begins the EP with her classic mystical and eerie sound. ‘Dry Me’, the first track of the EP, incorporates her unique storytelling with her raspy voice that adds a sense of mystery and fantasy to her music. Known for her storytelling, Hänlyn is no stranger to incorporating dark fairy-tale aesthetics into her tracks. Having been surrounded by creativity her entire life, the young artist now paves the way for others to explore their imagination through their writing.
We move onto ‘Drive’, where we’re introduced to the electric and punk sound that underlays the EP. Hänlyn provides us with the early 2000s feel to her music thus far. We could easily see her music having been featured in popular films of the time such as St Tinian’s or Twilight due to its edgy post-punk aesthetic.
Following a similar sound to ‘Drive’, we have the angsty ‘King Of Nothing’. Throughout the track, Hänlyn’s soft vocals are layered beautifully with the track's dancey tune. Although this track has a more joyful beat and a ‘girl-pop’ feel, the message behind the track has a more serious tone. ‘King Of Nothing’ can be read as almost a social commentary on the ever-rising type of men who claim to be feminists, when in reality they simply use it as a disguise to hurt women further: “You say you love women, but you only love your mother”.
‘Wiggy’ drifts slightly from the heavier sound we hear in the EP, to a more indie-pop sound with the simple guitar riffs and her voice being the focal point of the track. Hänlyn takes her imagination to new heights as she states the track is inspired by cats, more specifically being a cat: “I’ve always thought it must be nice to be a cat, to get massages and compliments and have a nice tail, nothing to do. So that’s pretty much what this song is about”.
‘Little Vampire’ reaches into the eeriness of Hänlyn’s sound, leaving us with a haunted feeling as we remember past relationships gone wrong. The track’s slower pace and lingering notes remind me of those used in Radiohead’s ‘Videotape’. It’s the type of track to make you stop and question everything while looking up at the ceiling. The track is one I’ve had on repeat and is sure to make you lost in Hänlyn’s trance-like voice.
Nearing the end of the EP, we have the self-titled track ‘The Head Of The Love Club’. Hänlyn dives back into her horror, dark fantasy sound as she describes the feeling of falling in love. With the blend of the EP’s theme and this track, we’re able to imagine this being played in a 90s classic film, such as ‘The Lost Boys’ during two of the main characters' romance scenes.
Her final tracks, ‘Easy Peeler’ and ‘Today (can’t help but cry)’ have a bittersweet undertone to them. Both tracks dip into the mix of genres presented throughout the album; ‘Easy Peeler’ shows her softer vocals, while ‘Today’ is a more upbeat pop song. Hänlyn explains how the final track is “probably my favourite song I’ve ever written because it got me out of a position where I felt I was drowning.” She continues by stating the origins of the final track: “Sometimes things don’t work out with someone, I had all this loving emotion and nowhere to put it.”
Gretel Hänlyn is probably one of my favourite artists I’ve discovered this year, with her uniquely experimental sound. Her storytelling and imagination are one to remember as we can only hope she gets signed onto a film soundtrack in the future.
Words by Katherine Witts
