Hawk's new album follows 2021's breakthrough LP "Heavy Elevator" and 2023's critically-acclaimed "Angel Numbers", both sublime and literate records that saw significant plaudits at both press and radio, including - no mean feat for an artist previously self-releasing in the current climate - six singles playlisted at BBC 6 Music.

Of his new album, Hamish says: “Writing this album, I opened up my closet, and a skeleton came out. The thing that links all of the songs is a sense of the unsaid, whether out of guilt, shame, repression, embarrassment, coyness, whatever it might have been. I realised: I am going to say these things, and not all of them are going to make me look good. The album made so many demands, and I just gave myself over to it.”

"Once I'd given myself over to the idea, I thought, I have to stick to this. I can’t hide anything from it. I can’t clean it all up for consumption. It felt uncomfortable for me – and that’s exactly how it should feel. That’s a really strong position.”

Through the writing of "Machiavelli’s Room", followed by the arrival of songs such as "Milk an Ending" and "Juliet as Epithet", "A Firmer Hand" came into focus as an album directed towards Hawk’s relationships with men: friends, lovers, family, colleagues. 

“I thought, this is the body of the record. The fact that it makes me nervous tells me it was the right thing to do

Tracklisting:

1. Juliet as Epithet

2. Machiavelli's Room

3. Big Cat Tattoos

4. Nancy Dearest

5. Autobiography of Spy

6. You Can Film Me

7. Christopher St.

8. Men Like Wire

9. Questionable Hit

10. Disingenuous

11. Milk an Ending

12. The Hard Won

next gigs

July

21 READING Englefield Estate (w/ Elbow & Villagers)

August

4 BARNSLEY Underneath The Stars Festival
13 KINGSTON Pryzym @ Banquet
14 LEEDS The Wardrobe @ Crash
15 MANCHESTER Night & Day @ Piccadilly Records
16 BRISTOL Rough Trade
17 LONDON Rough Trade East
18 NOTTINGHAM Rough Trade
19 LIVERPOOL Rough Trade
20 OXFORD Jericho Tavern @ Truck
21 SOUTHAMPTON Vinilo Record Store (Afternoon)
21 PORTSMOUTH The Brewery @ Pie & Vinyl (Evening)
22 BRIGHTON Resident
23 KETTERING Green Belt Festival
24 BIRKENHEAD Future Now Weekender

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