King Hannah - “All Being Fine”

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 6

Pairs Well With…Mazzy Star, Heartless Bastards, Lana Del Rey

King Hannah’s latest single is an ear-worm groove, but rather than relying on pop hooks, the Liverpool-based duo find catchiness in deep, psychedelic vibes and trip hop rhythms. A track that is as hypnotic as it is memorable, “All Being Fine” adds spaced-out atmospherics to King Hannah’s low, textured vocal of ghostly longing. There are echoes of blues rock stemming from the track, a trait that rides through 2020 debut EP Tell Me Your Mind and I’ll Tell You Mine and a trio of follow-up singles including the Americana-meets-shoegaze dirge “A Well-Made Woman” and an erupting, passionate take on Springsteen’s “State Trooper”. King Hannah’s dense, explorative spirit can take a song from minimal, ambient rock to full-on freakout, keeping their instincts of of melancholy tension in moments both quiet and loud. Under another band’s guidance, these songs would probably be performed in a minimal folk setting, but instead King Hannah construct their songs with moving ambition and dreamy grit. Subtly infectious, King Hannah don’t miss and are ‘ones to watch’ especially so early in their careers. (Kevin McStravick)