Gretel Hänlyn is Head of our Love Club
The much anticipated ‘sleazy girl summer’ has found its soundtrack with Gretel Hänlyn’s new EP. Head of the Love Club is a return to 90s grunge and 00s indie sleaze: the smudged eyeliner and IDGAF attitude adopted by both eras are channelled through each track’s effortlessly cool, lazy guitar riffs and Hänlyn’s trademark gothic vocals. The unexpected outcome of a teenage Hänlyn re-learning to sing after suffering a disease that resulted in muscle loss, this distinctive singing voice is the star of the show. Simultaneously breathy and powerful, it ties together an EP that is otherwise stylistically eclectic.
With Head of the Love Club, Hänlyn refuses to be contained by the boundaries of just one genre. Charli XCX wouldn’t be out of place on tracks like ‘Drive’ or ‘King of Nothing’. They are upbeat and electronic-drum-heavy, unmistakably pop. Contrasted with the likes of the EP’s opening track, ‘Dry Me’ – which evokes Kate Bush in its witchiness – Hänlyn proves that, whether she’s channelling pop princess or goth girl, she can pull off the melodramatic. Yet, some of Head of the Love Club’s standout tracks are the ones that are stripped down. ‘Easy Peeler’ and ‘Today (Can’t Help but Cry)’ exhibit Hänlyn’s softer side through delicate melodies and lyrics to match. It is impossible to argue with Hänlyn’s range. And, though sometimes the EP’s stylistic oscillations feel disorienting, her unique voice acts as a guiding thread to keep it cohesive.
For all its ethereal vocals, Head of the Love Club is very much down to earth in its subject matter. ‘Wiggy’ is a song inspired by her cat of the same name, and the rest of the album speaks to the experiences of navigating young womanhood. Cats, love, and heartbreak – what’s not to like?
Head of the Love Club is a bit of a mishmash: with this EP, the twenty-year-old Hänlyn is still finding her legs a little, but it is clear that she has found her voice. For lovers of pop, rock, and pretty much everything else, Gretel Hänlyn is one to watch.
