Natasha Haws #2 - Stranger

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When I did an 'Introducing' post on Natasha Haws back in April I talked about her sparse, intimate folk songs with finger-plucked guitar melodies carried by beautiful, fragile vocals, six months later and my has she grown, on the title-track from her latest release Stranger there a strong, defiant edge that breathes through the dark, powerful track.

It starts bare enough but soon grows in strength when propelled by pummelling kettle drum beats and moody atmospheric glitches with Natasha's vocal soon possessing the sort of intensity you'd expect from a Bat for Lashes or Zola Jesus, not a 'finger-plucking folky singer-songwriter'. Quite stunning.

Stranger can be pre-ordered now via Tiny Light's bandcamp and is released on November 12th.

Natasha Haws - New Music "Introducing"

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Natasha Haws, a seventeen year old singer/songwriter from South Shields is the sort of discovery that makes the endless hours of my spare time I put into this blog worthwhile, on her self-titled debut EP (due May 14th and available to pre-order now via bandcamp) you are introduced to the sound of an artist ready to captivate your heart with a collection of bare, haunting songs that display more than its share of charm and charisma through its core of heart-wrenching, intimate folk.

Through beautiful finger plucked acoustic guitar and atmospheric effects "Stepping Stone" takes a defiant look into a doomed relationship, the honest, powerfully human and moving tone will make your hairs stand on end, Natasha's vocals are beautiful throughout, a clean, pure, almost angelic voice belies the subject matter, displaying tenderness and strength in equal measures it's simply devastating.

"Happiness" reminds me of Daughter, with its echoey space, subtle beats and sparkling guitar, cooing backing harmonies and calming instrumentation provide the backdrop for the track as it gently leads you on its blissful journey. The third and final track "Constant Fairytale" is the simplest song in terms of instrumentation, Natasha's pretty vocal is the main tool, it shines through above a delightfully strummed acoustic and her witty, personal lyrics. I hate to use the word potential (you know what is coming next...), but surely a few live dates around the country, perhaps a support slot for someone on a label like Communion and a follow-up to this incredibly promising debut will see Natasha move from a treasure of the North-East to a UK name, perhaps even further...

The EP is lauched with a show at Sunderland Minster on Saturday May 12th, just £6 and included a copy of the EP too - tickets.