Comparing himself to Tom Petty but acknowledging that he is “half as good” and with a “sadder touch”, Lawson Hull is an Australian artist who is not afraid to open his mouth in his songs. And he doesn’t have it because that’s where he stands out: in his composition. His latest release, ‘Swim’, is another page of the personal diary that is taking shape in his discography.
The young artist, accompanied by his guitar wherever he goes, allows himself to be enveloped by the most folk and alternative pop to shine with his lyrics. Paradoxically, this brilliance is achieved thanks to the raw darkness of honesty. Creating a calm atmosphere where pure instruments prevail instead of the computer production that floods the radio, Lawson Hull narrates universal problems with which it is not at all difficult to empathize. That’s where his strength lies.
It is that talent to know how to tell what he wants to convey that, with hardly any promotion, has made him gain more than one hundred thousand monthly listeners on Spotify alone. Although that is not the most curious fact: Madrid and Barcelona appear as the cities where he is heard the most after the Australian cities Sydney and Melbourne. Perhaps Spain, that country where reggaeton dominates the charts, is also a country open to supporting indie artists from other corners of the world.
In the beautiful ‘Swim’, where Lucille Two sings backing vocals, Hull exposes his insecurities about a relationship that he believes he does not deserve and that he is afraid of ruining. “Baby, my head is an ocean / You don’t want to fall even if you know how to swim / Because I have a habit of sinking people with me,” she sings, playing with metaphors and truth. But, despite her bad feelings and negativity, it is her fears that turn ‘Swim’ into a deeply romantic song.
Other recent themes also stand out in the artist’s still small catalog, such as the trip through the Canadian lands of ‘Canada’17’ or the critical look at the toxic relationships of his friends in ‘Honey’. His first release of 2024, ‘Swim’, doesn’t look like it will be his last. And, in the world and in Lawson Hull’s head, it seems that there is still a long way to go… and to swim.
