Image Credit: Dave Kan for LUUP music

Locals Lounge: Hangout with Hassall

Each month we spotlight a local regional Victorian musician, songwriter or band killing it in our scene.

In the Locals Lounge we have Hassall. You may recognise Hassall from her signature red hat, or maybe from her big pipes and bubbly indie pop bangers. Maybe you haven’t yet come across Hassall and her infectiously big tunes and smile to match so let us do an introduction.

Who is Hassall?

My name is Hassall, I grew up in Geelong, and now I’m based in Northcote, Naarm/Melbourne. I describe my genre as ‘Aussie Sharehouse Pop’. The full Hassall band has four members, all the usuals – drums, bass, two guitars. My influences are a combination of modern female singer-songwriters (Olivia Barton, Julia Jacklin, Margaret Glaspy, Madison Cunningham), 2000’s slightly emo rock boys (Pinegrove, Blink 182, Slaughter Beach, Dog) and 60’s folk writers, the best lyricists there are (Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell).

 

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How long have you been playing music and how did the Hassall outfit come to be?

I’ve been playing music since my early teens, and in bands since 15. When my songwriting started becoming more personal and specific, I began the project ‘Hassall’ – using my surname as the artist name. That was in 2019. I played a lot of small solo shows in my hometown Geelong for a year or two, then slowly formed a band during COVID. That was back when you could only have one visitor at a time, so I had to have 1:1 rehearsals with each band member to work up parts for recording. We released the first body of work, an EP For The Furniture To Hear in 2022, followed by a three-track Hot Girls, Rock Bands, Star Wars in 2023. Over that time, we started playing a lot more shows up in Melbourne supporting local acts, and eventually jumping on board as openers for ridiculous tours.

How did you discover your passion for music making and performing?

My dad is a singer-songwriter – a Neil Young type guitarist & harmonica player. My older sister Lauren has a much better voice than I do and did plenty of singing when I was younger. Being around both of them definitely seeped into my conscience, and I decided at three years old that I wanted to be a pop star when I grew up. I did a lot of junior musical theatre as a teen and was a member of a 30-piece, all-female soul band during high school – both of those opportunities magnified my love for performing and being around music, and I’ve never really kicked it since.

Take us inside your catalogue?

Over the last five years I’ve released one EP, one three-track, and, as of recently, one album! Plus, all of their respective singles, of which there are nine or so. My latest release is Means More To Me Than It Does To You – an LP consisting of a humble yet heavy eight tracks that came together over the last handful of years.

What is the story behind your new album Means More To Me Than It Does To You?

A couple years back, I was going through a period where I was struggling to write – I kept getting stuck imagining who was going to hear it, and if they’d understand it, and how they would feel about it. I decided to pretend I was writing for an album called Means More To Me Than It Does To You – that way, I could write whatever I wanted and the title was a failsafe in case nobody understood it or liked it. I ended up loving all the songs I finished in that period, and released the album.

All of my lyrics are the dead truth (unfortunately) about my life. I have a song about phone addiction, about drinking too much coffee, about falling for my drummer, and about intimacy issues. Other themes are procrastination, vaping, and my hatred for the sound of people eating.

 

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Who did you work with on your latest release?

The main team on this album was Dave Jenkins Jr, Will Conway, and myself. We worked out of Dave’s studio at Golden Retriever Studios, Marrickville – Dave engineering, and all three of us producing and playing on the songs. Will played all the drums, most of the keys, Dave the bass, me the vocals, and we all chipped in a little everywhere else too. The final products were then were mixed by Dave, and mastered by Simon Berckelman (bar the last song ‘Boss Level Shit’, mastered by Steve Smart). We released one official music video from the album – ‘Overpopulater’, which was directed, filmed & edited by Willem Kingma of ‘Creepy Baby Productions’, assisted by the wonderful Kelli Blackmore. The video got featured on Rage’s ‘Wild Ones’ and has just aired for its eighth week in a row.

Give us a gear rundown

I’m truly popping my gear rundown cherry here, I must say. Ok. I play a Fender Jazzmaster, it’s poo brown colour. I’m not sure what the official colour is – I just tried to Google it, and the closest one I could find was the Troy Van Leeuwen in Oxblood? I have recently gotten completely rid of my amp from my live show because I hate carrying it. Now I have this Milkman pedal called ‘The Amp’ that is kind of like an amp mixed with a DI that fits on your pedal board. I absolutely LOVE it but the people at the airport kind of messed with it so the knobs don’t really spin anymore, even though it’s new.

It would be so hard to list the gear we used at the studio during the making of this album. Some standouts are – a Zephyr vintage microphone we used across heaps of songs that gives a wicked telephone vocal effect, a Duesenberg Double Cat guitar (we used this on anything with electric guitar), and on the synth side – Juno 60, Moog Sub Phatty, and a Prophet 6.

 

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What does a typical day of creating music look like for you in the studio, in rehearsals and on the stage?

In the studio, I’ll come in with a finished or mostly finished song. We’ll record a guide track to start – just guitar and vocal to a click track – and then record over the top of it. Usually we’ll start with drums and bass, then electric guitar, add lead vocals, backing vocals, and then any garnishes on top – backing vocals, synths, acoustic etc.

A typical performance day looks totally different depending on where the show is and if it’s on a tour (in that case – very early wake up, very early flight, very late night). The only pre-show routine that I maintain includes a full vocal warmup on the way to the show or at home beforehand – I use Pete Faint vocal warmups on Spotify. And I always make sure I brush my teeth in between soundcheck and going on stage.

What is the gateway song for new fans to listen to to introduce your sound?

Overpopulater!

 

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What has been the biggest challenge you face as an artist and how are you pushing through that barrier?

My main issue as an artist is carving out time to prioritise songwriting. It’s the only thing in my life that when I’m doing it, I don’t feel guilty for not doing someone else. It always makes me feel better afterward, even if I come up with absolutely nothing. But for some reason I will usually put admin, or errands, or cleaning, or socialising first. At the moment I’m taking a day each week exclusively for creative work, and booking time ahead to go on weekend ‘writing retreats’ (me in an AirBnB with a guitar and a notebook going stir-crazy).

How would you characterise the music ecosystem in regional Victoria?

In regard to music in regional Victoria, I can only really comment on the Geelong scene. There has always been an overflow of talent down there, and massive support for youth in music particularly, however I would love to see even more infrastructure for the music industry in the city, namely venues. Geelong artists definitely can’t be boxed into one style or genre, which I really love. We’re extremely lucky down there to be surrounded physically by such incredible music events such as Queenscliff Music Festival, Meredith Music Festival, Port Fairy Folk Festival, and Night Jar, to name a few.

 

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How has being based in regional Victoria elevated your music practice? What kind of support have you received?

I’ve definitely benefited as an artist from growing up in regional Vic. I think if I grew up somewhere that was saturated with musicians, I may have not chosen this career for myself. I liked finding my own way and making up my own rules on how to be a musician, and book shows, and record. I feel like I made so many mistakes when I was at a much less self-conscious age, and learned some wicked lessons early on.

I was extremely lucky to be a part of some incredible programs as a teen, namely ‘Sweethearts’ – a 30-piece, all female soul band that had me performing on stages from festivals in the US to Melbourne’s sticky floored bandrooms alike at age 14. Early on in all of my projects, I received a lot of support from Geelong venues and festivals who gave us opportunities to perform. And I still feel extremely held up by the whole community there.

What does the rest of 2025 look like for you as a musician? 

I have just announced a run of headline shows in September, called ‘The Album Tour’. I’ll be hitting Adelaide, Geelong, Sydney, Brisbane, and finishing in Melbourne.

I also plan on releasing a ‘director’s cut’ version of the album on streaming services later in the year. This’ll pretty much just be me telling stories and giving songwriting context in between each song on the album!

Who is your biggest music crush of 2025? Why?

Olivia Barton – she is not afraid to say exactly how she feels in a song. It feels like she writes with intention first and then works the lyric phrasing perfectly around her meaning. That might be a super wanky way to explain that, but she is just so so good, hahaha!

Where can we find you?

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassallgram/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hassallmusic/

YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/mpenjz4p

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3JfAUaN

Website: https://hassallmusic.com