Hetta Falzon - 'The Rabbit Hole'
Unwaveringly honest, Hetta Falzon unravels anxiety in her diaristic single ‘The Rabbit Hole’.
Confessional by instinct, Hetta Falzon’s discography is unflinchingly honest, and ‘The Rabbit Hole’ stays true to Hetta’s diaristic style. Now Manchester-based but raised in Somerset, Hetta Falzon routinely fuses her rich classical training with contemporary influence, as each release serves as a candid snapshot of being twenty-one, navigating love and life. Released via Matt Maltese’s Last Recordings On Earth, the track follows on from recent single ‘I Hope You Notice Me’, once again showcasing Hetta’s rare ability to fold honesty into elegant, classically rooted arrangements.
At its core, ‘The Rabbit Hole’ is an ode to the isolating fog of anxiety. Built around delicate piano and gentle string refrains, the track captures the queasy disorientation of losing sight of yourself to comparison. Its emotional centre comes into focus through Hetta’s own account of anxiety,
“Last January, all of my housemates in Manchester were getting into relationships, I didn’t expect it to affect me, I’ve always been independent and very comfortable in being alone, but for some reason I found myself incredibly insecure, comparing myself to everyone around me, and caring so deeply about how people around me perceived me, to the point where walking past someone on Wilmslow Road or hailing down the 42B bus felt like the most exposing thing in the world.”
It’s Hetta’s own vocal performance where the song’s emotional weight settles. She sways effortlessly between intimate and emboldened, delivering each phrase with acute precision. Hovering somewhere between Norah Jones’ warmth and Joni Mitchell’s clarity, Hetta boasts a natural ability to make even the smallest feeling feel seismic. Whilst her tone carries the clarity of her classical training, she leaves room for emotion to overcome melodic perfection as she traces the contours of doubt with a captivating rawness.
Beneath lies a delicately understated piano line, lifted by soft strings and jazz-leaning woodwind. At the halfway mark, the drums burst in, and the strings flare to life. Whilst short-lived, the energy of this moment is echoed through to the end, as the song nestles back into stillness and unadorned charm.
Released alongside the single is a captivating live version, featuring Hetta Falzon and Mollie Bielecki, Rose Frederick, Niamh Rodgers, and Hannah Williams on French Horns. Filmed at The Communion Studio, this stripped-back performance pares the song down to its core. The warmth of the French Horns emphasises Hetta’s unhindered presence, as the song leans into the striking nature of Hetta’s balladic writing.
With ‘The Rabbit Hole, ’ Hetta Falzon confirms what her early releases have already suggested. Hetta is on a mission to articulate the private fractures that make us human, wrapping them in songs that feel both intricate and disarmingly real. Once you’ve listened, it’s hard not to fall down the rabbit hole of Hetta’s softly lit soundworld.
Words by Sasha Renn
