Meredith Godreau’s Gregory & The Hawk is a true example of how to succeed in independent music within today’s digital market. She has humble beginnings, as all good bands do, and worked hard while utilizing social media outlets to augment her exposure through performances. In fact, the first time Godreau recorded a full-length, it was in her own bedroom in 2006. Her pop-sensible indie tunes caught on with the blogosphere in a variety of places online, causing her debut self-produced record to become an internet sensation, eventually selling tens of thousands of digital copies of her single overnight.
With such success stemming from true DIY beginnings, imagine what the luxury of a proper recording journey backed by a prestigious label will yield. Fat Cat Records (a house favorite here at IODA) signed Godreau after seeing her play in New York and put out her follow-up, Moenie and Kitchi, which she recorded with a host of collaborators. She then toured to support the record along with indie’s top acts including Múm, Frightened Rabbit, Mice Parade, and Album Leaf. Now, Meredith Godreau returns with Gregory & The Hawk’s third full-length album, Leche, released once again on the auspicious Fat Cat Records.
In a way, Leche is a return to Gregory & The Hawk’s humble beginnings; a return to the bedroom if you will. On the new record, Godreau elects to lay down a more stripped-down, simplistic set of recordings rather than layers of production and space. The result is an album of raw honesty that highlights her stunning voice, gifted songwriting, and innovation, all without restriction. However, the songs are still complemented by the harps, guitars, and creepy sonic knick-knacks that have found their way in as a supporting cast.
While her songs remain pleasing to the ear, it is important to distinguish that this is not pop music. Leche demonstrates the distance Godreau has travelled from the gentle, hook-centric simplicity of her earlier material, but her peerless grasp of head-bobbing rhythms, ear-piquing hooks, and otherworldly, punctuating noise snippets clearly remains — keeping the listener humming along through even the darker bits of her latest effort.
With such quality, honest songwriting from a beloved indie success story, this is sure to take the blogosphere by storm. Take a listen to the free promotrack below and pick up Gregory & The Hawk’s newest release Leche today.
Gregory & The Hawk
“Landscapes” (mp3)
from “Leche”
(Fat Cat Records)
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