Hazlett - “Blame The Moon”
Hazlett is an indie-folk force that seems to stop for nothing. It’s only been a couple of months since he released his LP, Bloom Mountain, and yet he is already back with one of hopefully many new singles. If you’ve ever cracked open our blog, there’s a chance you’ve already read one or two features we’ve written about this man, but that does not hinder the sheer excitement we have in discussing his new one: “Blame The Moon.”
This song starts a bit darker than his previous releases, which just so happens to be right within our wheelhouse. The tone of the strums from the acoustic guitar, coupled with the ominous and ethereal vocal swell, make for one hell of an intro and it is exactly what we needed today. There’s a slight Lord Huron vibe occurring right out of the gate, which we welcome with our open arms as we let it enter our ears and build a fire within our chests. This is a side of Hazlett that we didn’t know we needed, yet we’ve somehow been waiting for it all along.
And no matter how many times we’ve heard Hazlett sing, it never stops his voice from completely flooring us once the lyrics begin their glorious flow. At times, we can detect a lower harmony, but there has always been a sort of distinguished vocal magic in every song that he’s offered the world– and “Blame The Moon” is no exception. Other than a bit of bass around the midpoint, the track is primarily just the guitar and his signature layers of vocals, but there’s a shift in dynamics towards the end that is sure to keep everyone coming back for multiple listens.
As the final third of the song reaches its crescendo, Hazlett has deployed some swelling, synthy strings as padding for the production. And in addition to this, a reverberated and vibey slide guitar makes an appearance, causing the recording to expand its fantastic and cinematic atmosphere. Although we’ve loved every song that Hazlett has sent to us, the darker mood that lives within “Blame The Moon” has definitely raised the bar.
-TM