Staff Reviews

Richard Hawley - Truelove's Gutter

Review by Amanda Farah

Truelove’s Gutter isn’t all blackness, but even at its few hopeful moments there are those tinges of pessimism and cynicism that prevent it from ever being rose coloured.»

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• 9/10 by gideon_

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richard hawley's sixth studio album, 'truelove's gutter,' is released on mute. recorded in hawley's hometown of sheffield at yellow arch studios, 'truelove's gutter' is a testament to his intoxicating song writing talents with eight new compositions. arrangements on 'truelove's gutter' occasionally feature some truly uncommon instrumentation, such as the megabass waterphone and crystal baschet. "i use a load of odd sounds on this album that are not heard on many other records," says richard. "the sounds in my head on a lot of the tracks - i didn't even know what they were called!" eccentric instruments notwithstanding, the lush but minimal production provides a haunting backdrop to hawley's unique voice and allows him plenty of space for some outstandingly beautiful guitar solos. "i wanted it to be a listening experience from start to finish, where you couldn't just pause it and go off and watch coronation street or whatever," explains hawley. "sonically, it flows. it's not jumping all over the place. it just has a mood that goes through the whole thing." thematically his darkest work to date, 'truelove's gutter' explores the idea of people or things that are broken in some way, and the fractured and damaged times in which we live, to which hawley's lyrics profoundly attest.
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