3: Spooky season sadness from CHARLOTTE HACKETT in her debut single 'HAUNT THE HALLS'...

After the upbeat, anthemic 'Westside' from FLYNT last week, we go to the other end of the spectrum with a delicate submission from Charlotte Hackett in this review.

Having reached out from Leeds (even though we are 'local' and live, we welcome artists from

all over the world!), Charlotte's debut single 'Haunt the Halls' caught my attention straight away. For lovers of boygenius, candle-lit evenings and the 'lost in the woods' playlist on Spotify, this tune is going to be your new favourite autumn alt-folk banger. Despite being a debut single, it's clear that Charlotte knows her sound, her vision, and her aesthetic; and all three of these factors are heard as soon as you hit play on the single.

Something I really wanted to dive into straight away are the lyrics - they are crafted so perfectly that anyone reading can relate, empathise, and feel. Taking the idea of being 'ghosted', and creating the character of a physical ghost haunting the life that it left behind: reading the lyrics alone sends chills down my spine. That imagery, combined with the ethereal musical accompaniment, gives you that warm, crackly-fire type of feeling. Everything from the shimmery background vocal effects, to the intimate acoustic guitar, draws you in straight away, before building into a heart-aching soundscape that reminds me of old Daughter tunes.

Another part that sticks out for me in this track is the writing in the chorus: there are many alt-folk tunes out there that don't have that 'catchy chorus' feeling, but Charlotte manages to hit the spot just right with having an interesting, of-it's-genre structure, and still make ear-candy catchy choruses. After one listen-through, I was picking up the melody. After two, I was singing along. And even after five listen-throughs, I was still noticing new intricacies in the accompaniment - each experience gets slightly more magical.

I couldn't write this review without shouting out the producer, Will Killen, who also created the artwork for the track. Both Charlotte and Will are artists in their own rights, and are working together on another release for the new year, and I'll be counting down the days until that happens. There's something great about working with your friends (and housemates, in this case!) to get the musical ideas across, and the two of them have done this perfectly.

If this is only the start of Charlotte Hackett's releases, I'm excited to see what comes next. For those who want to experience this track, amongst others, live: Piece Hall in Halifax on November 19th - I'll see you there.

by Meg Shaw, Local and Live Media

Review No. 3