Hannah Trigwell is one of the most impressive professionals you’re going to come across in the “unsigned artist” world. In addition to being an exceptional writer, singer and performer, she puts her money where her mouth is when it comes to her passions outside of music - namely, the environment. She has actively measured her carbon footprint in the studio, worked with her Patreon supporters to plant thousands of trees, and runs every aspect of her marketing. Having such a hands-on approach to the business helps lower the footprint and keep her honest. Before you even hear her voice or songs, you can not help but be impressed with her work ethic, visual style, passion for the environment, and number of spins she’s racked up over the years.

She began over 10 years ago busking on the streets of Leeds, and has built a business model that should be studied by independent musicians around the world. Her work consists of a mix of covers, originals, personal videos, passionate visuals, a cause bigger than the art and most importantly, honesty and accountability. Too many people get in this industry for the wrong reasons and they rightly fail, taking up space for the artists that make a difference. Talent means nothing without character and conviction. Trigwell is a beautiful personification of those three required elements.

The picture you see above is from an upcoming album - and if you scroll through her social media and previous tracks, you’ll see pictures representing each single from the album appear in the windows of this burning cabin. It’s a smart campaign that she’s been utilizing to engage her followers on Social Media. “Wasted Love” is the latest single (with the visual of a white cat). It’s another solid pop track with her unique voice and exceptional sense of rhythm. Here’s our review:

It’s an all-start with Hannah and the instrumentation in the key of C. Melody moves up, playing off the 5th to the root as the chord progression pulls down, opening up the structure and giving the listener and wide spectrum to enjoy. Musically, the mood is quite joyous, but lyrically you can tell she’s battling with some fierce emotions. I love the contrast between the two, and I really enjoy how she hits the G an octave up in falsetto at the end of the phrase, halfway through the first verse. Second half of the first verse adds a kick to gently build up some intensity, it’s a nice set up for the chorus.

With the chorus, the delivery of the melody becomes more staccato as she struggles with the emotions of what she can and can’t say. Great choice - it perfectly reflects how so many of us just blurt out the things we wish we could say in a hurried fashion, as if saying it faster will make it easier. Sonically, she adds a host of beautiful backgrounds, thicker bass pads, Cicada hats and some great synth swells. The focus stays on the vocals and the production does not overpower you. That’s important, because the feel changes significantly due to the changes in the beat and vocal delivery. Nice unique chorus - I’m definitely engaged.

Second verse introduces a new feel - very straight ahead. She properly adjusts the melody and timing of its delivery, flattening it out about a bit to match the feel, and I like the choice. The band is more active, so she pulls back. Note here how she goes down on the octave at the midpoint of the phrase, verses going up in the first - nice change. This straight ahead feel continues into the second chorus. The big difference is the change in drum patterns. The hat pattern has changed, as has the snare tone and the patches.

Cool bridge! Sounds like she goes 2nd person here - switching up who is talking to who. Is this section about being drunk? Maybe - that’s what I get from the lyrics, and the staggering bass line. Fun little section that brings a smile to my face. I really love the note choice in the bass line, the chromatic descent adds a wider texture to the track, and that muffled acoustic tone reminds me of a trick used in the 80’s a lot with songs like “Life in a Northern Town” by The Dream Academy - love it. The last chorus is split between a stripped version with just the guitar, and the band feel with the straight ahead vibe. Great way to end it, nothing pretentious, and you’re left feeling like you’re part of the conversation. Lovely work, Hannah, as usual. ;)

Make sure you scroll down to catch all her socials and other tracks. There’s some interesting covers in the there, but you need to definitely check out her originals, “Comfortable” (my favorite of hers), “Dreams” and the heartbreaking “Daisies.” Can’t wait to hear what the rest of this project is going to sound like!

Hannah Trigwell

Hannah Trigwell

Wasted Love

Sugarmoon

The Wren