Following on from their much-loved self-titled debut LP back in 2017, New York-based outfit Hazel Gaze make their long-awaited return to deliver their highly-anticipated sophomore album 'Hazel Gaze II'.
Featuring the previously shared gems 'Dirty Little Secrets', 'Who's Sorry Now' and 'Do As You Please', this new nine-track collection makes for an incredibly bold and anthemic listen. Bringing back more of that fun and swaggering blues-rock aesthetic they are known for, 'Hazel Gaze II' will have you shaking your hips from start to finish.
So with the new album available to stream now, we sat down with them to find out more about their origins and what has been inspiring them most recently.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
Hanz (lead vocalist): Guitar. It is a love affair that continues to this day. I love the look, feel and sound of acoustic and electric guitars, plugged in and unplugged, clean and dirty, etc. I wish I was a better guitar player. I can accompany myself on guitar while singing and use guitar to write songs. But mostly I just enjoy playing for fun in my home office/studio.
Molly (background vocals): Violin! I always loved how natural and fluid the wrist movements felt to me and at one point felt like I knew my instrument very well.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
Hanz: Blues-based rock music, from the time I started listening to popular music on the radio—another love affair that continues to this day.
Molly: As a kid, I loved to listen to pop music. As I got older, I started to appreciate rock more and fell in love with The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana and the like. Indie rock has historically been one of my favourite genres, with bands like The Shins, Vampire Weekend, and Cage the Elephant.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Hanz: My first album was “Naturally” by Three Dog Night. I bought it when I was 10 years old. I loved the soulful lead vocals, 3-part harmonies, heavy guitar, and Wurlitzer organ. Lots of great songs on that one, including “One Man Band,” “Liar,” and “Joy to the World.”
Molly: It's a tie between Christina Aguilera's "Genie In A Bottle" and Britney Spears' "Oops... I Did It Again.”
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Hanz: “All Right Now” by Free. Heavy basic drumbeat, thick meaty guitar chords, a great bass line weaving through the space, and a wailing soulful lead vocal that is the perfect embodiment of a young man trying to make it with a beautiful woman—and failing because she is so much savvier than he is! Paul Rodgers sings with so much attitude! To me this song epitomises rock and roll. I wish I could write something that simple, heavy, and with that much sass and swagger. Maybe someday…
Molly: Either "Hotel California" by The Eagles or "Good Kisser" by Lake Street Dive. "Hotel California" is a song I can listen to over and over and never get sick of and "Good Kisser" is so amazingly fun and fronted with KILLER female lead vocals.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
Hanz: I find if I try too hard to write music, I just get frustrated. So I almost never sit down and say “I am going to write a song” as that is a recipe for disaster. The ideas must come to me when they come. If I hear a riff or guitar part in my head that spurs a songwriting session, I grab an acoustic guitar and start noodling around till it sounds right. If I get stuck, I have a drink or two to see if that loosens up the ideas. Sometimes it does. But sometimes it just leads to more drinks, and nothing gets done. Sometimes lyrics come to me in a rush, and usually at inopportune times (like 3AM or when I am in the shower). Years ago, I used to keep a pen and paper by the bed. Now we always have our phones within reach. You can’t force lyrics, either. They come or they don’t. I guess my biggest ritual is to put the guitar or pen down and walk away and wait for inspiration to strike at the next inopportune moment, which isn’t the most efficient way to go about it…
Molly: Work through the bad ideas. Entertain all of them until something feels genuinely good.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Hanz: I really love the Rival Sons. I also enjoy newer blues artists like GA-20, Chris Duarte, Samantha Fish and Shemekiah Copeland. Some older artists who are still making albums have recently come up with great material. I really like The Black Crowes latest album “Happiness Bastards,” and love “Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” the song The Rolling Stones did with Lady Gaga on their latest album “Hackney Diamonds.” And I tend to like anything by Jack White.
Molly: Chappelle Roan, The Beach Boys, Hozier, Remi Wolf, and The Beatles (after a recent trip to Liverpool).
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Hanz: Taylor Swift! Imagine the exposure! Ha! We’d probably be booed off the stage, but I’d be game. Years ago, a band I was in had the honour of opening for some well-known artists (notably Joan Jett and the Ramones). The main act’s fans can be brutal to opening bands, throwing bottles, etc., at them. Hoping that Swifties, being mostly younger, won’t throw things quite as hard and sharp! Kidding aside, happy to open for anyone who would be willing to have us do so; probably best to do so with a band whose style is similar to ours.
Molly: Assuming time travel is considered, No Doubt. I love Gwen Stefani's energy as a frontwoman and often try No Doubt's songs at karaoke.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
Hanz: Feeding my soul, which is what music does for me. I love working with other like-minded musicians to create something that moves all of us—and hopefully resonates with people who listen to our recordings and come to see us play live. While I love playing music in general, I find it more rewarding to play our own music to a small crowd and have them respond than to play covers to a huge crowd. What a rush!
Molly: When something comes together, and I think it actually sounds good! The cherry on top is if other people like it as well, but when I'm happy with a project there's an indescribable satisfaction.
And what is the most frustrating part?
Hanz: Finding talented musicians and singers willing to share your vision and dedication to your craft, and then keeping them engaged for the long haul. The rewards of making original music are not immediate, and rarely financially rewarding. If it happens, great! But it must be first and foremost a labour of love. Fortunately, our current lineup has incredibly dedicated and talented people who are fun to be around and fantastic team players.
Molly: Starting something and not knowing where to go with it. I have loads of lyrics and voice notes that have gone absolutely nowhere but sound semi-decent on their own. They're just little lost jigsaw puzzle pieces.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Hanz: Take your time and find the right person or people with whom to make your music. Over a decade ago, I was in a series of short-lived bands that seemed to disintegrate before we ever got off the ground. I was hanging out with a guitarist friend who I had known for years, and who had invited me to audition for a new 80s pop and rock genre/tribute band he was putting together. We both realised I was not a good fit for his project. When I expressed my overall frustration about not finding a good fit for my abilities, he said to me, “Nobody sings like you. And you don’t sing like anybody else. Yes, you can smoke early 70s hard rock songs, but you have no interest in being in a cover or nostalgia band. You need to find someone that needs you and your voice for their original project. You will be ‘his guy’ and he (or she) will be ‘your guy.’” I had been friends with Hazel Gaze guitarist/songwriter Russ Soper for a few years by then, but neither of us had connected on a musical level yet. One night years later, he played me a song he had written and recorded with a female singer/songwriter that blew me away. A few months later I did a Led Zeppelin set at a concert for a local charity as a favour to another friend. I found out later that my performance blew Russ away. Hazel Gaze was born.
Molly: Whatever you do, do not stop making music.
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Hazel Gaze's new album 'Hazel Gaze II' is out now. Check it out in the player below.