Aubrey Haddard was 15 when her world was rocked after seeing Susan Tedeschi for the first time. From that point forward, the Hudson Valley native forged her own path in music by bearing her spirit with relentless moxie. Like Jeff Buckley’s hopeless romanticism or Kate Bush’s mystic pixiness, Haddard resonates with artists who explore their depths. The elegance of Sade and the unapologetic power of Brittany Howard are equally as present in her music.
After cultivating music in Boston through 2017, Haddard released her brashly intimate debut album Blue Part in July 2018 to wide critical acclaim. She was praised by NPR affiliate WBUR as having a “nascent star power;” DigBoston described her songs as “bursting with life.” The success of Blue Part resulted in seven nominations and several wins at the 2018 Boston Music Awards, including Vocalist of the Year and Singer/Songwriter of the Year.
Following the release of her debut, Haddard spent the following two years heavily circulating national tour circuits as both a headliner and support act, gracing stages at Firefly, Mountain Jam, Waking Windows, and a slew of other premiere festivals in 2019. She has served as a support act for numerous globally recognized bands, including The Dip, Ninet Tayeb, Lawrence, Liz Cooper & The Stampede, Haley Heynderickxx, Low Cut Connie, and The National Reserve. Haddard has also independently toured France, which included a writing residency in a Mediterranean village in the country’s southern quadrant. The songs written during this period in late 2018 culminated in a two week recording residency in Oakland, California that yielded a group of new singles awaiting release in 2020.
With her tools and talent, Haddard aims to explore duality within her music. Through narrating her own experiences in life and love, she holds space for dialogues of tumult and tranquility. Her goal is to encourage others by singing her truth, and with such attraction in a voice like hers, it’s impossible not to.
Today Glide is excited to premiere the video for Haddard’s standout song “Sweeter The Honey.” Set to eye-catching monochromatic visuals, the song balances dreamy indie pop cool with soft and soulful vocals. Haddard uses sparse instrumentation that balances just the right amount of airy funk with a touch of New Wave as a compliment to her intimate, sultry vocals. While the song itself is irresistibly catchy, we also get some fine guitar work from Haddard as she lays into a groovy little solo around the song’s halfway mark. Live shows may be on hold for the time being, but between her guitar playing and vocal strength, Haddard is definitely an artist we will be catching as soon as we can.
Haddard describes the inspiration behind the song and its colorful video:
“Writing ‘Sweeter’ started with the bass line and came together quickly. It really hasn’t changed much since its inception. Charley has a knack for creating really melodic, infectious bass lines and this one is a perfect example. We decided to feature the guitar on the bridge and I think it gives the song a lot of head room right before we bring the hammer down.”
“It’s a warning, but almost like a siren’s song, entices the listener with the music while bringing them to trial with the message. A testament to female resilience and its double edged sword.
The sugar-coated video conceptualizes the idea that things are not as they seem, almost distraction from the underlying warning. kind of like “come, see my fruit? have some. it might be poisonous. i might be too.”
WATCH:
Photo credit: Bob Sweeney
