Live Review: Hazlett is desperate for connection with 'First World Problems'
It's rare that a debut is so self-assured as this one, but HAZLETT knows exactly what he's doing.
There's something so gloriously all-encompassing about HAZLETT and his debut single, 'First World Problems.' It's a song that is drenched in synth-laden melodies and fervent vocal delivery, that somehow feels incredibly maximalist and refined at the same time. With that being said, it constructs a perfect contrast - a song that is so booming it centres around stripping ourselves back to our basic humanity.
With the ethereal opening, it's easy to compare to 'First World Problems' to a song by Bon Iver or Frances & The Lights. It's that type of choral introduction that makes you close your eyes and take a deep breath in. It tingles down every last extension of your limbs before those intimate strums creep in and HAZLETT's silky voice wraps around you. His vocal delivery is restrained but packed to the brim with emotion and a desperation for human connection.
It's that yearning for human connection, in fact, that gives the song its excellence and its heartbreak. The craving embedded in the chorus' repetition of "Rinse these hearts from their first world problems" is a plea for us to be stripped away of the technology that we use to cloak our anxiety. While still communicating, HAZLETT believes we're losing our ability to truly feel each other when we connect. "No one says hello" is a simple yet powerful way to end the sobering chorus, and - while he feels we're losing our ability to communicate with each other - his message is coming through to us loud and clear.
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It's rare that a debut is so self-assured as this one, but HAZLETT knows exactly what he's doing. 'First World Problems', whether you agree with its message or not, is a listening experience that possesses you. Your whole body tingles and your muscles relax from the gorgeous introduction to the eerie outro. It's a brooding, sobering track that will help you both switch off and switch on - just as HAZLETT intended.
Words by JACKSON LANGFORD
Image: Supplied
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