Hamish Hawk announces new "coming of age" album, 'A Firmer Hand'
He's also shared the first single from it, 'Big Cat Tattoos'.
Edinburgh's Hamish Hawk has officially signed with So Recordings, announcing his upcoming album 'A Firmer Hand' set for release on August 16th.
Hamish has also released the first single from the album titled 'Big Cat Tattoos,' a track that Hawk describes as both playful and profoundly honest. Discussing the new single, Hawk shared, "'Big Cat Tattoos' is just one of the great unsaids that make up the new record, and it's the birthplace of the album's title: A Firmer Hand. Unknowingly I'd been building up an ugly arsenal of great unsaids over the past few years, and the album became a place I could offload them, and with any luck put them to rest.
"I tried to avoid cleaning things up at the time of writing," he continued. "I cornered myself into a warts-and-all approach. But don't be fooled, Big Cat Tattoos is all talk. Our hero gets a few barbs in nice and early, and lands a couple of clumsy jabs, but in the end we're witness to nothing more than a petty diatribe. It's embittered, unbecoming and wholly embarrassing. It does have a certain get-up-and-go, though."
Hamish has also released the first single from the album titled 'Big Cat Tattoos,' a track that Hawk describes as both playful and profoundly honest. Discussing the new single, Hawk shared, "'Big Cat Tattoos' is just one of the great unsaids that make up the new record, and it's the birthplace of the album's title: A Firmer Hand. Unknowingly I'd been building up an ugly arsenal of great unsaids over the past few years, and the album became a place I could offload them, and with any luck put them to rest.
"I tried to avoid cleaning things up at the time of writing," he continued. "I cornered myself into a warts-and-all approach. But don't be fooled, Big Cat Tattoos is all talk. Our hero gets a few barbs in nice and early, and lands a couple of clumsy jabs, but in the end we're witness to nothing more than a petty diatribe. It's embittered, unbecoming and wholly embarrassing. It does have a certain get-up-and-go, though."
Regarding 'A Firmer Hand,' Hawk elaborated on the thematic core of the album: “Writing this album, I opened up my closet, and a skeleton came out. The thing that links all of the songs is a sense of the unsaid, whether out of guilt, shame, repression, embarrassment, or coyness. I realised: I am going to say these things, and not all of them are going to make me look good. The album made so many demands, and I just gave myself over to it.”
"Once I'd given myself over to the idea, I thought, I have to stick to this," he added. "I can’t hide anything from it. I can’t clean it all up for consumption. It felt uncomfortable for me – and that’s exactly how it should feel. That’s a really strong position.”
Exploring themes of personal relationships, 'A Firmer Hand' delves into Hawk’s interactions with men—friends, lovers, family, and colleagues. "This is the body of the record. The fact that it makes me nervous tells me it was the right thing to do,” he commented. “It’s a bit of a coming of age record,” he says.
Hawk will support the release with a series of live performances, solo and with his band, including shows with Villagers and a support slot for Elbow during the summer.
The dates in full read:
MAY
4 Stag & Dagger Festival, Edinburgh, UK
5 Stag & Dagger Festival, Glasgow, UK
27 Ancienne Belgique (Solo w/ Villagers), Brussels, Belgium
28 Paradiso (Solo w/ Villagers), Amsterdam, Netherlands
29 LantarenVenster (Solo w/ Villagers), Rotterdam, Netherlands
30 Pop Seasons - Christiankirche (Solo w/ Villagers), Hamburg, Germany
JUNE
1 Passionkirche (Solo w/ Villagers), Berlin, Germany
2 Luxor (Solo w/ Villagers), Cologne, Germany
3 La Maroquinerie (Solo w/ Villagers), Paris, France
5 Wylam Brewery (Solo w/ Villagers), Newcastle, UK
6 Irish Centre (Solo w/ Villagers), Leeds, UK
8 Royal Festival Hall (Solo w/ Villagers), London, UK
27 Belladrum Festival, Inverness, UK
JULY
21 Englefield Estate (w/ Elbow & Villagers), Reading, UK
AUGUST
4 Underneath The Stars Festival, Barnsley, UK
13 Pryzym @ Banquet, Kingston, UK
14 The Wardrobe @ Crash, Leeds, UK
15 Night & Day @ Piccadilly Records, Manchester, UK
16 Rough Trade, Bristol, UK
17 Rough Trade East, London, UK
18 Rough Trade, Nottingham, UK
19 Rough Trade, Liverpool, UK
20 Jericho Tavern @ Truck, Oxford, UK
21 Vinilo Record Store (Afternoon), Southampton, UK
21 The Brewery @ Pie & Vinyl (Evening), Portsmouth, UK
22 Resident, Brighton, UK
23 Green Belt Festival, Kettering, UK
24 Future Now Weekender, Birkenhead, UK
"Once I'd given myself over to the idea, I thought, I have to stick to this," he added. "I can’t hide anything from it. I can’t clean it all up for consumption. It felt uncomfortable for me – and that’s exactly how it should feel. That’s a really strong position.”
Exploring themes of personal relationships, 'A Firmer Hand' delves into Hawk’s interactions with men—friends, lovers, family, and colleagues. "This is the body of the record. The fact that it makes me nervous tells me it was the right thing to do,” he commented. “It’s a bit of a coming of age record,” he says.
Hawk will support the release with a series of live performances, solo and with his band, including shows with Villagers and a support slot for Elbow during the summer.
The dates in full read:
MAY
4 Stag & Dagger Festival, Edinburgh, UK
5 Stag & Dagger Festival, Glasgow, UK
27 Ancienne Belgique (Solo w/ Villagers), Brussels, Belgium
28 Paradiso (Solo w/ Villagers), Amsterdam, Netherlands
29 LantarenVenster (Solo w/ Villagers), Rotterdam, Netherlands
30 Pop Seasons - Christiankirche (Solo w/ Villagers), Hamburg, Germany
JUNE
1 Passionkirche (Solo w/ Villagers), Berlin, Germany
2 Luxor (Solo w/ Villagers), Cologne, Germany
3 La Maroquinerie (Solo w/ Villagers), Paris, France
5 Wylam Brewery (Solo w/ Villagers), Newcastle, UK
6 Irish Centre (Solo w/ Villagers), Leeds, UK
8 Royal Festival Hall (Solo w/ Villagers), London, UK
27 Belladrum Festival, Inverness, UK
JULY
21 Englefield Estate (w/ Elbow & Villagers), Reading, UK
AUGUST
4 Underneath The Stars Festival, Barnsley, UK
13 Pryzym @ Banquet, Kingston, UK
14 The Wardrobe @ Crash, Leeds, UK
15 Night & Day @ Piccadilly Records, Manchester, UK
16 Rough Trade, Bristol, UK
17 Rough Trade East, London, UK
18 Rough Trade, Nottingham, UK
19 Rough Trade, Liverpool, UK
20 Jericho Tavern @ Truck, Oxford, UK
21 Vinilo Record Store (Afternoon), Southampton, UK
21 The Brewery @ Pie & Vinyl (Evening), Portsmouth, UK
22 Resident, Brighton, UK
23 Green Belt Festival, Kettering, UK
24 Future Now Weekender, Birkenhead, UK