Hailing from Oakland, California, Hazel English makes beautifully blurry indie-pop music powered by transcendent melodies and caked in layers of Californian sunshine and redolent reverb. She finds herself something of a scene queen amidst the burgeoning jangling happenings of the Bay Area, which count the likes of her producer Jackson Philips aka Day Wave amongst it ranks, as well as kindred spirits like Craft Spells and Hot Flash Heat Wave, to name but a few. Despite the fun being had locally, Hazel describes her music as, “Transportive. It makes you feel like you’re in a different place”. A very literal example is the title track, which charters the bittersweet abandon of her runaway journey from her native Australia to her new adopted home in an near-cinematic narrative. She’s drawn comparisons to everyone from Alvvays and Pains Of Being Pure At Heart to touring partners Ride, while her soaring, hypnotic, vocal arrangements have been likened to everyone from Grimes to Diiv. Her debut EP collates a brilliant snap-shot of her DIY creations to date. Those that have followed her meteoric ascendance through the hazy blogosphere so far will recognise the title track ‘Never Going Home’ and ‘It’s Not Real’. Both tracks were first premiered in demo-form via her Soundcloud and with trail-blazing champions like Gorilla Versus Bear, Stereogum and The Line of Best Fit. The EP also contains three entirely unheard new gems in ‘Control’, ‘Make it Better’ and ‘I’m Fine’ which will all be unearthed very soon, the whole thing is available to pre-order now on limited edition collectors vinyl.
