Hockitay - redstar [Review]
About Hockitay
If you're a keen follower of the blog, then Hockitay will need no introduction. Just check out TSMM's interview with him, and/or the reviews of his his 'over/over', 'buttons' and 'half smile' singles. If you're late to the party, Hockitay is the stage name of Santiago Castillo Tremblay, a Guatemalan-born, Montreal-based singer-songwriter and producer. Raised by a painter and a filmmaker, he developed an early appreciation for visual and sonic storytelling, before moving to Montreal, Canada, where he earned a BFA in Recording Arts from Concordia University; and if slowcore, thoughtful lyrics dissecting modern living's ills in the age of peak capitalism are your thing, then he'll be right up your street.
Review
'Over and over' gets this Future Gods enabled, album rolling, and as it's the track that jumped out of the speakers and grabbed my attention back in February, I'm not complaining. Its biting analysis of social media's never-ending, often ill-thought-out opinions and just how wearing they are, thrown over some woozy future trip-hop beats, hit all sorts of pleasure centres. Follow that up with 'buttons', another of my single picks, with its slightly perkier, folk-rock vibe and AI, automation and late-stage capitalism in his sights, and you couldn't ask for a better start. Next up is 'two crows', a new single to my ears, and Hockitay sounds like he's had a long, hard day and is struggling to keep his eyes open - the particularly woozy, lethargic beats offering no support whatsoever.
'Half smile' is a new day though, and he springs out of bed with a light – and I do mean light (he doesn't do party music) – indie jangle and a typically sardonic and smart affair of the (broken) heart tale. Next up is the album title track; the trip-hop tempo is back, the synths are set to sci-fi as Hockitay muses on AI and our digital selves, but optimistically points out that love conquers all - don't forget that kids, it's even better than your phone. 'Make me brave' gives our boy a brief respite from vocal duties and accentuates the album's synthetic psychedelic qualities, before 'laughtrack' ends this auspicious debut on a somewhat lighter, but no less lysergic, dreamy folkcore note.
If Hockitay's music is hitting home, then you should probably check out Lucrecia Dalt's A Danger to Ourselves album.
Playlist Companion
Find Hockitay in the Slow Alt-Pop Playlist.
