Last Updated on 2025-11-16 by a-indie
Collaboration with Jay Som
Jay Som as Producer
-Yuuki Takita: On your latest album ‘Liquorice’, Jay Som is credited as a producer. What led you to ask her to produce the album? How did you and Jay Som discuss the creative direction, and what vision did you share for the songwriting process? If there’s a memorable episode from your work together, I’d love to hear about it.
She is really sweet and funny and was so easy to work with. We had the songs pretty much fully written when we brought them to her studio in LA, but I knew she would understand what we needed to do with the production to finish everything off. We met through a video call when we were deciding who to work with. We mentioned that her song Superbike was a big inspiration for us in the early days of the project, and she said that song was actually influenced by our music! So it was a really beautiful connection from the start.
Empathy as Outsiders and Creation
-Yuuki Takita: One more question about Jay Som, if I may. Her recent album ‘Belong’ raises questions about where she belongs within the indie rock ecosystem, as she told me in our interview. Your latest album ‘Liquorice’, on the other hand, seems to emerge from reconnecting with yourself and having time for solitary reflection. Both albums share a deeply introspective quality rooted in self-examination. Did you discuss these kinds of mentality and mindset with Jay Som during the album’s creation?
Yeah, it’s easy to feel disconnected from an industry that really favours certain artists and defines success by streaming numbers. I think that’s why I loved working with her so much, we could bond about feeling like outsiders sometimes. We had fun and focused on making an album that we loved listening to, rather than something that we thought would be ‘successful’ with the public. If you are able to just ignore what’s going on with bigger artists and make music that you enjoy, it’s a much more meaningful experience.
The Album ‘Liquorice’
Meaning Behind the Title
-Yuuki Takita: Regarding your latest album ‘Liquorice’, could you explain why you chose the title and what it means to you? What feeling or atmosphere does it capture?
Well it started with the song Liquorice, which describes a kiss as a ‘liquorice kiss’. This was kind of my way of describing a french kiss… I was also drinking a lot of liquorice tea while making this album, and I love the imagery and feeling the word evokes. Liquorice is full of twists, if salty and sweet and unexpected, like love.
Inspiration from Tragic Romance Films
-Yuuki Takita: I understand this album was inspired by a tragic romance film that you love. Could you tell me about that film and what aspects of it inspired you? If that’s difficult to answer, could you share what music, films, or artworks you were engaging with during the album’s production?
Yes, I particularly love The Umbrellas of Cherbourg by Jacques Demy, and Splendor in the Grass with Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty. Those two movies really shocked me when I watched them when I was young. I didn’t know romance movies could be so devastating! They changed my perspective on love. Now that I’m older and have experienced a lot of heartbreak in my life, I completely understand why these movies are so effective and still so accurate 60 years later. Romance can be such a rollercoaster of emotions! I also was very inspired by Richard Linklater’s Before Sunset, Before Sunrise films. They are such an accurate depiction of longing and the fleeting nature of love.
Evolution of Sound and Production Commitment
Return to Guitar Sound
-Yuuki Takita: The sound of this album is striking—it retains the dreampop sensibility reminiscent of Cocteau Twins and Pale Saints that characterizes your earlier work, yet it’s clearer and more powerful, as if a haze has lifted. Was this shift in sound something you intentionally worked on with Alex Farrar, who handled the mixing, and Greg Obis, who handled the mastering? If there were specific sonic intentions or focal points you were conscious of, I’d like to hear about them.
Thank you! I really just wanted the final product to sound as similar to the demos as possible. I wanted the songs to feel simple but lush, warm and comforting. I wanted to focus on the guitars and get back to the sound I first established with my ep Sugar & Spice.
The Spontaneously Shot Album Cover
-Yuuki Takita: The album cover—a close-up shot of your own face—is also striking. I understand it was shot spontaneously with a small digital camera in your backyard. How did you come up with this idea? If there’s a theme or concept behind it, please share that with us.
Yes! My husband Joe took it. We just wanted something simple to match what I described earlier – warm and evocative, playful and enticing. I took some photos for the cover that felt a bit cold and too posed, so we did some quick photos in the back yard and used this one instead.
The Breakthrough Track
-Yuuki Takita: Your previous album featured many danceable, mechanical tracks, whereas this one brings guitars prominently to the forefront, creating a more visceral impression. Which track on this album represents your personal breakthrough, or which one shows the most significant shift or evolution in your work? Personally, I felt the most change in “Liquorice.”
It’s hard to say. I think Liquorice or Only One Laughing probably feel the most fresh and exciting to me when I wrote them. I didn’t hold back from trying new ideas with the vocals and guitars, and they’re still the most interesting for me to listen to now, even though they are really simple instrumentally.
Message to Listeners
-Yuuki Takita: Who would you like to hear ‘Liquorice’? Or in what kind of situations would you like people to listen to it? Are there any particular aspects of the lyrics or sound that you’d especially like listeners to pay attention to?
I’m not sure, I always like the idea of my music being in film or television because I think it’s quite cinematic and each song tells a story sonically, even without listening to or understanding to the lyrics. I feel very vulnerable sharing my music with the world, but I think the innocence and vulnerability in the music is what people connect with!
-Yuuki Takita: Many Japanese music fans love your music and are looking forward to your upcoming live performances in Japan. Finally, could you share a message with Japanese listeners?
I hope I get to tour your beautiful country soon! Thank you for the support!
Hatchie Album Release
3rd Album ‘Liquorice’
Release Date: November 7, 2025
Tracklist:
1. Anemoia
2. Only One Laughing
3. Liquorice
4. Carousel
5. Sage
6. Someone Else’s News
7. Wonder
8. Lose It Again
9. Anchor
10. Part That Bleeds
11. Stuck
View on Amazon
Hatchie Profile
Hatchie is a solo project by Harriette Pilbeam from Brisbane, Australia. She debuted in 2018 with the EP ‘Sugar & Spice’, with the track “Sleep” selected as Pitchfork’s Best New Track. In 2019, she released her first album ‘Keepsake’ to critical acclaim from various media outlets. She has performed with Japanese Breakfast, Beach House, Kylie Minogue and others, and appeared at major festivals including Pitchfork Paris and Primavera. In 2022, she released her second album ‘Giving The World Away’, produced by Jorge Elbrecht, via Secretly Canadian. In November 2025, she releases her third album ‘Liquorice’, produced by Jay Som (Melina Duterte).
Writer: Yuuki Takita
Born in 1991, freelance writer from Tomakomai, Hokkaido. After graduating from the same university as TEAM NACS, he entered a music vocational school and majored in the writer course.
There he produced three music free papers, conducting everything from artist interviews to editing.
Leveraging that experience, he joined a cross-media music company with free papers and web media, where he gained experience in writing reviews, editing, and sales.
After leaving, he changed careers to work at a major record shop, where he also wrote disc review articles for the company’s own media.
This led him to start his activities as a freelance music writer. Currently, he is a salaried worker and music writer who dreams of holding an outdoor music festival in his hometown of Tomakomai.
He enjoys cats, watching movies, and reading. Nana Komatsu and curry and biryani exploration are his lifestyle.
Articles written so far are here
Articles written for other media are here
Twitter: @takita_funky
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