Hannah Wicklund’s ‘Hide and Seek’ Is Divine Chaos
unapologetically stepping into her agency, Hannah Wicklund's newest single demands attention and solidifies her place as a musical force to be reckoned with
After a five-year gap from her debut studio album Hannah Wicklund & The Steppin Stones, the South Carolina-born rock n roll powerhouse recently released her upcoming project’s electrifying first single, ‘Hide and Seek.’ In an extension of the hopeful closure sung in her last record’s seminal track ‘Strawberry Moon,’ Wicklund’s ‘Hide and Seek’ greets us with a fiery hello, full of passion, grit, and maturity.
Moving out of the heartbreak behind her first album, ‘Hide and Seek’ presents a woman eagerly looking forward and ready to plunge into the trenches of love again, not necessarily by choice, but by primal need, a dizzying desperation which makes it all the more enticing. This is someone fully aware of the risks of vulnerability and the brutal reality of romance, but still interested in diving headfirst into the very things that cause heartbreak. The story of ‘Strawberry Moon’ continues not with Wicklund running from connection, but running toward it. After all, what is to live if not to feel?
Wicklund says of the single,
“‘Hide and Seek’ is unlike any song I’ve written. Usually I’m writing about the end of a relationship, and not the beginning of one. The chaos of the chorus encapsulates that explosive feeling of wanting someone so badly that it almost doesn’t make sense. The anxiety of just the idea of losing someone at the same time you’re falling in love with them is such a bizarre experience.”
Fed up with the excessive emotional precaution all too familiar to those freshly out of the throes of heartbreak, Wicklund chooses to bask in euphoric, candy-coated danger, and urges her muse to reciprocate:
“I dig you
So let your guard down
You won’t scare me
So let your demons hang out
I don’t feel like feeling like I need a reason anymore”
Then, in an explosive plea,
“Why don’t you stay, why don’t you stay?
I will rescue you”
Whereas in ‘Meet You Again’ Wicklund sings, “Oh, and what would you do if I needed a rescue right now? / Save me, my training is failing me now,” her new sentiment, though frenzied as it is, is one of agency. Whether she’s speaking to herself or a former partner in ‘Meet You Again,’ the notion is reframed in ‘Hide and Seek.’ She’s on the other side. She’s done the heart-work. And while she may not need Prince Charming’s protection anymore, who said anything about throwing out love altogether?
In ‘Hide and Seek,’ Wicklund channels the fierce badassery of her bluesy breakout single ‘Bomb Through The Breeze’ and redirects it to welcome a lover into her complicated, but rewarding, emotional world. Now, there’s no more waiting around for the things she wants, Wicklund is taking control as the pursuer. But there is a demand for transparency and commitment from her partner, and that’s really the crux of the song:
“Don’t say goodbye if you won’t stay away
Don’t stay away
I’m afraid I need you
Don’t say goodbye if you won’t stay away
Don’t stay away
I’m afraid I love you”
What makes ‘Hide and Seek’ special is not necessarily its thematic content (as we know, the trials and tribulations of romance are an artistic inspiration as old as time), but the way in which Wicklund’s authentic musicianship takes the listener on her journey themselves. We are not merely listening to emotion, we are experiencing all of it with her: the reeling, the pining, the craving, and the desperation. The passion conveyed through Wicklund’s vocal and instrumental musicality is distinct, and it’s quite the treat to experience both mediums so intensely from an artist.
Sonically, ‘Hide and Seek’ is sexy with a candid sense of urgency, excellently encapsulating the simultaneous thrill and fear associated with new love. The track’s highs are barefaced and brazen, demonstrating the musician’s complete willingness to take the jump; her fearlessness to be vulnerable for the chance at something beautiful. Its lows are honest and reflective, perhaps even acknowledging the foolishness of it all. It’s intoxicating, addictive, and overwhelming. All in the best way possible.
Paired with Wicklund’s emotive fretwork and intimate songwriting, her voice has exceptional versatility and allure; a listener can’t help but be curious and want to follow an invitation down the rabbit hole into her world. The track’s haunting, seductive vocals in the verses juxtaposed with the raw, guttural power of the chorus creates a deliciously satisfying whiplash, perfectly painting a picture of the adage that falling in love is a lot like falling asleep: slowly, and then all at once.
And just when you think the bridge is going to carry the song to its end, in comes a delectable guitar solo that feels wickedly indulgent, like the richest chocolate cake you know you’ll regret later (but hey, we only live once, right?)
And if the musical prowess wasn’t impressive enough, you can add visual artist and savvy businesswoman to her repertoire, too. In addition to hand painting her album artwork, Wicklund’s forthcoming record The Prize will be released through her own label, Strawberry Moon Records, and her first body of work as a totally solo artist. In an interview with Banded PR, she explains her life-long commitment to her band The Steppin Stones, and the crossroads at which she found herself deciding to, at last, release music under her own name:
“I tried to hold onto “The Steppin Stones” name, and I wanted it to be a band. I never had imagined it being all about me. But I literally found myself with everything in motion and without the players. I had always been the songwriter and the driving force behind the band, so it was a really natural thing, but it was something I had resisted for so long.”
As an independent artist managing herself and a record label, Wicklund’s authority over her sound is palpable. Although artists forced to wear so many hats often endure endless frustration and obstacles, the outcome is worthwhile. The tireless work ethic and dedication to one’s craft results in a product that doesn’t feel one bit manufactured or manipulated, and Wicklund’s artistry is a fantastic example of that.
The sacrifice certainly isn’t lost on her, though. In a recent interview with Blues Rock Review, she explains the difficulties of being a female musician in an unyielding industry:
“Men in power have quite literally said ‘she’s great, but it’s too hard to break a female in rock,’ and that’s just BS. Having my hands tied behind my back by men in the music business one too many times lit a fire in my soul to do it myself. Five years has felt like an entire lifetime between records, but I truly believe I had to come full circle and believe in myself in a way I never had before and claim responsibility for my own success.”
There’s already limited room at the table for women in rock, much less those who refuse to reduce themselves to whatever palatable ideal record executives preconceive might resonate with audiences. Wicklund’s resilience and determination to say, “fuck the system, I’ll do it my way” is hard not to admire, aside from the fact she knows how to write damn good music.
The Prize is also the first project produced by Greta Van Fleet’s Sam Kiszka, who played bass, keys, and organ on the record, along with Danny Wagner on drums; a collaboration of cosmic, rock n roll magic whose consummation feels like a cherished baby of total artistic freedom.
So, there’s something a little spiritual and symbolic about ‘Hide and Seek’ being Wicklund’s first release of the new era, without her Steppin Stones. Much like her personal pursuit of a beloved, musically, she is grabbing life by the reins and courageously coming into her own, on her own terms, unafraid to admit fear along the way. There’s less concern about what’s right and more concern with simply being alive, embracing all the complexity of emotion and experience that should characterize our lives. ‘Hide and Seek’ says, “to hell with safeguards, let’s live.” And for the downcast or dreary exhausted by compulsive considerations of “what if,” that attitude is a tempting breath of fresh air.
After my first listen, I only had one recurring thought in response to Wicklund’s whimsical mania: whatever love drug she’s on, I want it.
Listen to ‘Hide and Seek’ now:
The Prize comes out October 13th, pre-order here.