With the release of sophomore album Royal Blue, on New West’s imprint Normaltown Records, 2015 was a breakout year for indie songstress Lilly Hiatt. Following the album’s success, Hiatt will kick off 2016 by joining acclaimed singer-songwriter John Moreland on his headlining U.S. tour starting February 18. The tour includes shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle,Portland, Dallas, Austin, Denver, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and more. Following this run, Hiatt will play Eddie’s Attic in Atlanta with fellow Nashvillian Sarah Potenza, a previous Top 20 Finalist from NBC’s “The Voice,” before heading overseas for dates in the Netherlands and United Kingdom with southern rock artist Hannah Aldridge.
Royal Blue has continued to gain critical praise since its release in March of last year, with American Songwriter naming her ode to father John Hiatt, “Somebody’s Daughter,” as one of their “Top 50 Songs of 2015.” The magazine asserts, “This song and the album it anchors announce [Hiatt] as a significant and distinctive songwriter in her own right.” Additionally, Pop Matters included Royal Blue in their “Best Americana of 2015” and The Bitter Southerner called the album one of “The Best Southern Albums of 2015.” The former praises, “With a petite voice and razor-sharp lyrics, the singer/songwriter who’d ‘rather throw a punch than bat an eye’ brings a fresh perspective that’s uniquely her own.”
Setting the tone for the album, sultry opener “Far Away” premiered via Paste, who noted Hiatt’s “powerful vocals” and “honest lyrics.” Those lyrics reflect on the devastating realities of a love gone sour – a theme that is continued with an upbeat look at the past in”Get This Right,” which Stereogum called a “soundtrack for when you’re driving nowhere fast, but feeling very Zen about it.” On the austere and arresting “Your Choice,”Hiatt pairs a gently strummed guitar with a spacey analog synth and sings, “When you turn your lamp off/ Please hear my sweet, soft voice.” Adding, with startling finality, “You made your choice.” The title track closes the album with a proclamation that she’s letting go and healing the only way she knows how: “I wanna let go/ ‘Cause I was royal blue/ What would a good woman do?/ She’d move on/ And write a song or two.”
Hiatt’s love of ’90s alt-rock groups comes through loud and clear in the distressed guitars, the urgent backbeats, and the post-punk synths throughout many of the songs. Citing the Pixies, the Breeders, Dinosaur Jr. and Pearl Jam as influences on this record, Lilly sought out producer Adam Landry for his versatility and analog studio, confidant he’d be able to create the late ’80s/early ’90s vibe she was hearing in her head.
Lilly Hiatt Tour Dates:
February 18 – Dallas, TX @ The Kessler*
February 19 – Austin, TX @ Cactus Café*
February 20 – San Antonio, TX @ Jack’s Patio*
February 22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar*
February 23 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Troubadour*
February 25 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ Tap It Brewery*
February 26 – San Francisco, CA @ Neck of the Woods*
February 28 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir*
March 1 – Seattle, WA @ The Tractor Tavern*
March 2 – Walla Walla, WA @ Main St. Studios*
March 4 – Salt Lake City, UT @ State Room*
March 6 – Denver, CO @ Daniel’s Hall*
March 8 – Wichita, KS @ Barleycorns*
March 19 – Nashville, TN @ 12th & Porter+
March 20 – Atlanta, GA @ Eddie’s Attic#
April 28 – St. Louis, MO @ The Focal Point^
June 2 – Den Haag, NL @ Musemix Societeit Engles^
June 3 – Spijkerboor, NL @ Cafe ‘T Keerpunt^
June 4 – Lage Vuursche, NL @ In the Woods^
June 5 – Hoorn, NL @ Peticantus^
June 9 – Bath, UK @ Chapel Arts^
June 10 – Lindsey, UK @ Town Hall Live in Kirton^
June 11 – Leeds, UK @ Seven Arts^
June 12 – Birmingham, UK @ Kitchen Garden Café^
June 15 – Bristol, UK @ The Golden Lion^
* with John Moreland
+ with Sam Lewis
# with Sarah Potenza
^ with Hannah Aldridge
