Hailing from Perth, singer/songwriter Hanah Stow has today dropped her debut EP, Sidelined, and it’s a beauty. Six tracks of intimate, emotive and melancholic musings, it’s a beautiful first record for the talented artist.
Hannah reflects on her journey to get to this important milestone. From the ache of leaving her home town to pursue her career, the inner turmoil associated with being in a same-sex relationship, reflections on love gone wrong, it covers familiar ground for so many of those in their late teens and twenties.
The songs straddle folk and indie-pop, with Hannah’s husky and melodic voice weaving its charm throughout. She is a fine songwriter, and no doubt many of thes songs will resonate strongly.
We’ve been fortunate to have Hannah pen a track-by-track breakdown into each of the stories on the record, so do press <PLAY> and read on.
Hannah Stow – Sidelined – Track by Track
This EP was titled “Sidelined” because it was all of the songs that had been “Parked” or put on the “sideline” that I couldn’t quite give up on. I was once told by a label that these wouldn’t get radio play or playlisting and that I should focus more on “going viral on TikTok with something catchy” – yet every time I would post snippets of these songs on my instagram or Tik Tok people would go wild for them. The track list is diverse and is bound to give you whiplash but I feel this perfectly resembles me and my own personality.
Sidelined isn’t just an EP – it’s a testament to all the people that were told their dreams were too vivid. To all the times they were told they didn’t fit the mould or were told to manipulate or bend their quirks to fit in with a construct. It’s a message to encourage people to express how they feel in a way that is authentic to them and to remind people that nobody can tell you the “right” way to creatively express something if it’s your story. Just because someone gives their “opinion” on something doesn’t make it factual. If you do everything with love, express authentically, stay in your lane and believe in yourself – the universe will support you and push you towards where you need to be.
1. Leave Perth
I wrote this track after I read “The Alchemist“. I felt like I needed to leave Perth in order to pursue my music career. I felt like I was running out of time and I had too many things to acheive and perhaps Perth wasn’t the place to be if I wanted to reach my goals. “Catch your breath and try and breathe, why do I care about you when the chokehold is on me” resembles leaving people you love behind in order to chase a dream you feel has a hold on you.
2. In The Dark
I wrote this track in my bedroom and for the 2 years following that I would play it at every show and there were two core memories from the time’s I sang this live. 1. A girl in Sydney came up to me and asked me to write the lyrics on her arm, the next day she messaged me a photo of it tattooed on her. 2. When I played it in Burleigh and looked up expecting no one to care about a song they’ve never heard before but everyone was dead quiet. I remember thinking it was crazy to silence a room with a song I never thought would even make it out of my bedroom.
3. But I lie
This song touches on the tribulations of being hidden in a same sex relationship. “Hold my hand under the table, so your parents don’t know you’re able to love me and not leave me alone”.
I wrote this song years ago and it kind of just sat in a drop box and everytime I would send my songs out for feedback this was the one that always had the most amount of attention. I decided it was too good not to release. I got Calvin Bennett to add some sexy guitar riffs and this quickly became a smooth listening track with a really raw meaning about love and identity.
4. Dawson Road
I wrote this with a very “Sam Fender” style of writing. Very specific yet still relatable. It was a sad realization that whilst I’m getting older my parents are getting old. We take for granted all the simplicities we have as children. When we get older we realize the gravity of what our parents had to go without just so that we could thrive. I lost my grandparents at a young age and “Dawson Road” was where I spent most of my childhood. The voicemail right before the last chorus was from my Dad.
5. Hard Facts
This song is what you’d get if you Missy Higgins and Allday had a love child. It’s basically a rap and I lose breath every time I sing it but I’ve managed to rehearse it so much that it flows smoothly now. In its core the song explains that you can blame your star sign for making you toxic or your upbringing, or your ex for not treating you right but at the end of the day -it’s up to you how you carry yourself from my past experiences and it’s up to you to decide what type of energy you carry into your next situation. My favourite line in the whole song is “I got alot to give just watch me evolve and the government knows more than what we’re told. Santa’s not real and your parents aint right but they did their best if it helps you sleep at night. We are all moulded by the trauma inside so if I blame my past does it make it alright? Or maybe it’s my star sign making me this way? Maybe it’s the reasons I shouldn’t pray”
6. Shade on your name
This song in its core explains a situation where someone has done wrong by you but you refuse to talk negatively about them. “We’re intertwined but I guess we untwisted, and if you see this call and say you miss me. I’m too stubborn, I won’t say it first. But I don’t put shade on your name for what it’s worth.” After the drop there is a voice not that I got my girlfriend to record. I was in the studio and I was like “this would slap with a female voicemail” so I messaged her and asked her to record “hey can you call me back” and send it to me. The producer that made this track ‘Daunt’ – is one of the most underrated producers in Perth and I think once people hear about him he will do big things.
Sidelined is available now on all streaming platforms.
You can give Hannah Stow a follow on her Website, Facebook and Instagram
