Giving the World Away is the second studio album by Australian dream pop musician Hatchie. It was released on 22 April 2022 through Secretly Canadian.

Giving the World Away
Studio album by
Released22 April 2022 (2022-04-22)
Recorded2020–2021
Genre
Length49:46
LabelSecretly Canadian
Hatchie chronology
Keepsake
(2019)
Giving the World Away
(2022)
Singles from Giving the World Away
  1. "This Enchanted"
    Released: 14 September 2021[3]
  2. "Quicksand"
    Released: 19 January 2022[4]
  3. "Giving the World Away"
    Released: 15 February 2022
  4. "Lights On"
    Released: 22 March 2022[5]
  5. "The Rhythm"
    Released: 21 April 2022[6]
  6. "Twin"
    Released: 19 October 2022
  7. "Nosedive"
    Released: 9 November 2022
  8. "Rooftops"
    Released: 8 March 2023

At the AIR Awards of 2024, the album was nominated for Best Independent Pop Album or EP.[7]

Background and recording

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After the release of her 2019 debut album Keepsake, Hatchie began working on a second album in February 2020 while in Los Angeles. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, she was forced to return to Australia at the end of the month.[8] She worked in retail while recording music with her partner Joe Agius at a house in Brisbane.[8][9] The songwriting process was more collaborative than on Keepsake, as Hatchie was open to working with more co-writers and adding to songs started by or with Agius.[9] After production and mixing was done remotely in Denver by Jorge Elbrecht, the album was completed in 2021.[10]

The production on Giving the World Away updates Hatchie's shoegaze sound with elements of dance music, inspired by British group Saint Etienne.[9] Other influences included New Order, Kylie Minogue, Depeche Mode, and Ray of Light by Madonna. Based on her experience touring Keepsake, she decided to focus on more energetic songs that would carry over well in a live setting.[10]

The digital deluxe edition "embraces a '90s alternative jangle and lush, languid harmonies to become a highlight of an expanded project".[11]

Release and promotion

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Giving the World Away was released 22 April 2022 through Secretly Canadian. In support of the album, Hatchie announced a month-long North American tour during May 2022.[10]

"This Enchanted" was released as the album's lead single on 14 September 2021, becoming her first release through Secretly Canadian.[12] The album's cover artwork comes from the music video for "This Enchanted", which was directed by Agius and shows Hatchie in angel wings referencing Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film Romeo + Juliet.[13] Giving the World Away yielded four additional singles: "Quicksand", "Giving the World Away", "Lights On", and "The Rhythm".[14]

On 9 March 2023, she announced the release of the album's deluxe edition with additional five tracks. It was digitally released on 7 April 2023.[15][16]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic73/100[17]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [18]
DIY     [1]
Dork     [19]
Gigwise          [2]
The Guardian     [20]
The Line of Best Fit7/10[21]
NME     [13]
Paste7.6/10[22]
Pitchfork6.7/10[23]
PopMatters8/10[24]

Giving the World Away received favourable reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album has an average score of 75, based on 10 reviews.[17] In his review for The Guardian, Phil Mongredien called it "a winning blend of pop melodies and shoegaze textures".[20] Brady Brickner-Wood of Pitchfork wrote that the album "explores [Hatchie's anxieties and insecurities] with an exacting, if not heavy-handed, touch, mushrooming her once sparkly shoegaze into a brasher, more ambitious sound."[23] For NME, Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen described Giving the World Away as "an enchanting second album that sounds as good as it feels – a brave statement of self and survival in the face of uncertainty."[13]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Harriette Pilbeam, Joe Agius and the listed co-writers

Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Lights On"Jorge Elbrecht3:57
2."This Enchanted"Elbrecht3:52
3."Twin"Tony Buchen4:06
4."Take My Hand" 4:16
5."The Rhythm"Elbrecht4:30
6."Quicksand"Dan Nigro4:12
7."Thinking Of"Elbrecht2:05
8."Giving the World Away"Elbrecht4:46
9."The Key" 4:15
10."Don't Leave Me in the Rain" 4:16
11."Sunday Song"Zach Fogarty3:48
12."Til We Run Out of Air" 5:43
Total length:49:46
Deluxe edition[a]
No.TitleLength
13."Nosedive"4:09
14."Cast Aside"4:17
15."Rooftops (feat. Liam Benzvi)"3:53
16."Dream On (Country Girl)"4:02
17."The Rhythm (George Clanton Remix)"4:21
Total length:1:10:00

Personnel

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Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[25]

Musicians

  • Harriette Pilbeam – vocals (all tracks), guitar (4, 7–10, 12), keyboards (8–11)
  • Joe Agius – keyboards (1, 3–6, 8, 9, 11, 12), guitar (2–12), backing vocals (3, 8, 11, 12)
  • Jorge Elbrecht – bass (all tracks), guitar (1–7, 9, 11, 12), percussion, programming (1–5, 7–12), keyboards (2), piano (3, 4, 7, 9, 11, 12), backing vocals (5), acoustic guitar (10)
  • James Barone – drums (1–5, 7–12)
  • Tony Buchen – keyboards (3)
  • Dan Nigro – guitar, drum programming, keyboards (6)
  • Sam Stewart – guitar (6)

Production

  • Jorge Elbrecht – mixing (all tracks), production (1–5, 7–12), additional production (6)
  • James Barone – additional production (1–5, 7–12)
  • Tony Buchen – additional production (3)
  • Joe Agius – additional production (4, 5, 11)
  • Dan Nigro – production (6)

Charts

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Chart performance for Giving the World Away
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[26] 51
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[27] 59
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[28] 33

Notes

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  1. ^ Available only on DSPs.

References

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  1. ^ a b Siregar, Cady (20 April 2022). "Hatchie - Giving the World Away Review". DIY. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b Rigotti, Alex (22 April 2022). "Album Review: Hatchie - Giving the World Away". Gigwise. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  3. ^ Minsker, Evan (14 September 2021). "Hatchie Signs to Secretly Canadian, Shares Video for New Song "This Enchanted"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  4. ^ Minsker, Evan (19 January 2022). "Hatchie Announces New Album and Tour, Shares New Song "Quicksand"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Hatchie "Lights On"". Stereogum. 22 March 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  6. ^ "Hatchie – "The Rhythm"". Stereogum. 22 March 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  7. ^ "2024 AIR Awards Nominees: Genesis Owusu, Cub Sport, RVG, Teen Jesus & More". The Music. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  8. ^ a b Richards, Will (22 April 2022). "Hatchie: 'I'm Still in the Middle of Trying to Figure Myself Out'". DIY. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Von Pip, Andy (22 April 2022). "Hatchie on Her New Album 'Giving the World Away'". Under the Radar. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  10. ^ a b c Ragusa, Paolo (19 April 2022). "How Hatchie Reinvented Herself on Giving The World Away". Consequence. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  11. ^ Major, Michael. "HATCHIE Releases Deluxe Album & Announces West Coast Tour Dates". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  12. ^ Minsker, Evan (14 September 2021). "Hatchie Signs to Secretly Canadian, Shares Video for New Song 'This Enchanted': Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  13. ^ a b c Au-Nhien Nguyen, Giselle (22 April 2022). "Hatchie – 'Giving the World Away' review: shoegaze seeker looks inward on sprawling second album". NME. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  14. ^ Brodsky, Rachel (21 April 2022). "Hatchie Shares New Song 'The Rhythm': Listen". Stereogum. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  15. ^ "Hatchie – "Rooftops" (Feat. Liam Benzvi)". Stereogum. 8 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  16. ^ "Hatchie on Instagram". Instagram. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  17. ^ a b "Giving the World Away by Hatchie Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  18. ^ Phares, Heather. "Hatchie – Giving the World Away Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  19. ^ Young, Martyn (20 April 2022). "Hatchie - Giving the World Away Review". Dork. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  20. ^ a b Mongredien, Phil (24 April 2022). "Hatchie: Giving the World Away review – newfound confidence". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  21. ^ Taylor, Ims (21 April 2022). "Giving The World Away is saturated in both Hatchie's sense of self, and her search for it". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  22. ^ Johnson, Ellen (19 April 2022). "Hatchie Upsizes Her Sound on Giving the World Away". Paste. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  23. ^ a b Brickner-Wood, Brady (22 April 2022). "Hatchie: Giving the World Away Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  24. ^ Davies, Jeffrey (25 April 2022). "Hatchie Boldly Embraces Uncertainty on 'Giving the World Away'". PopMatters. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  25. ^ Giving the World Away (insert). Hatchie. Secretly Canadian. 2022. SC444
  26. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 2 May 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1678. Australian Recording Industry Association. 2 May 2022. p. 6.
  27. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  28. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
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