Diving into Hattie Oates’ latest single BAD, we were immediately met with a variety of dark pop sounds. Her music traverses a variety of sonic spaces, creating something that feels equal parts familiar and fresh.
So we caught up with Hattie for a run-down of five tracks that directly influenced the aforementioned new single, BAD. Take it away, Hattie…
From Gambino to Billie Eilish, Tamworth-based artist Hattie Oates runs us through five songs that influenced her amazing latest single BAD.
Billie Eilish – Bellyache
Who could not like this song? The storyline for one is incredible! The way that Eilish mixes acoustic and electronic vibes is definitely something that I thought of when producing BAD. It’s so interesting when you’ve got the two contrasting, yet complementing each other in the same piece.
Lorde – Team
I was listening to a lot of Lorde around the time that I wrote BAD. She has this dark eerie tone that grabs me every time I listen to her songs. Team has such simple accompaniment paired with dense harmonies in the chorus, which is so effective. Her songwriting is clever, descriptive and emotional… Love it!
King Princess – 1950
King Princess is another artist who stays so true to themselves as an artist but also as a person, which is reflected in their music. When we were workshopping BAD in the studio, I deliberately wanted a more produced feel (contrasting to my previous releases), however, I still wanted to keep it raw and organic. I looked to King Princess for some inspo because I feel like the balance in her songs are perfect every time.
Childish Gambino – Redbone
About mid-way through BAD, it takes a turn and sets into a groove. This is directly inspired by Redbone. I love how Childish Gambino uses such a simple chord progression to achieve such a complex riff and melody.
Billie Eilish – Bury a Friend
Yep… Billie again! This song honestly scares me but I love it! I knew as soon as I had written BAD that Billie Eilish popped into my head in terms of production. By no means was I trying to copy her, however, especially at the beginning of my song Billie’s haunting vibes crept in, as I drew from Bury a Friend for inspiration.
BAD is available now. Listen here.
