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Pieces - Erik Hassle
Handling the spotlight
by Surya


Erik Hassle is an up an coming artist originating in Sweden. He signed an international record deal with Island Records in 2009, and Pieces is his international debut.

Pieces starts uncertainly, with a little mic buzz and some distant synth. Then a guitar adds to the mix, then drums, then Hassle opens the album with the words ‘We almost go through it sometimes/You we’re not the first.’ What follows is a pop album bringing back something that the current UK pop scene seems to have forgotten about. Hassle tends to opts for real, physical instruments such as guitars, basses and drum kits as appose to virtual instruments like drum machines and that seem to be taking over modern popular music.

With Hassle being tipped by so many as the next big thing (Guardian, BBC Music), Pieces obviously has a lot to live up to. Fortunately Hassle handles the spotlight surprisingly well for such a young artist, singing with funk that gives the impression of years of experience.

The album is a mix of guitar driven synthpop and slower piano ballads. Hassle sings with boy band-ish vocals that don’t need auto-tune to shine. The album’s ninth track, Love Me To Pieces, leans slightly towards modern RnB, while Standing Where You Left Me is easily the rockiest beat. First Time takes a slight acoustic turn during the first verse, but the chorus is big and driven by Hassle’s vocals (as are most of them on the album). The final track on the album, Amelia, is an acoustic piece where Hassle sings about love and a girl called (you guessed it) Amelia.

Lyrically, the album mainly features songs about broken relationships and the consequences of them. In typical pop style Hassle often makes the light of macabre and dark subjects – ‘Don’t bring flowers after I’m dead/Save your giving for the living instead’. His lyrics may not be the most original or be anything to look out for, but they fit his pop style fine.

The best song on the album is Don’t Bring Flowers, which starts off with a funky bass riff and has Hassle sing in a quirky stutter. Other highlights are Bitter End, Hurtful and Back To Bed.

Although Pieces isn’t the kind of album I’d normally be in to, it offered an interesting musical experience at a time where pop music on the radio all sounds the same.

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