UK pop artist H A Z E is preparing to drop her solo debut and in the interim, she shares a new single “Shadow" with an accompanying video. The pop ballad is gloomy, reflective, and expressive. The singer dives into the concept of being lost in love and details all the unpredictable and somewhat unsurmountable feelings that come with it. While it’s not a novel topic, the nuanced and evocative approach really makes it enduring. The production has a slow build-up and is ripe with dark and solemn elements from melancholic piano riffs, moody guitar arrangements, and soft drum grooves to tighten things up. On the other hand, H A Z E’s vocals exude an extraordinary emotional oomph and the way her harmonies are wired is quite distinct.
The cinematic visual directed by Adrien Combes makes use of several motifs from artificial aesthetics to plastic arts while focusing on the singer’s distinct performance shots. I do love the simple set-piece of H A Z E juxtaposed against moody lighting and the use of angle and slow cut-scenes to depict a gradual emotional change in her performance, They also used a lot of contrasting and dark colors which adds to the theme of the song.
“Shadow” is the lead single of H A Z E's upcoming debut EP.
H A Z E started as the lead singer of London-based rock quartet D'Haze but now she is on a solo mission to expand her musical sphere. As H A Z E. She is able to encompass different styles such as synthpop, retro wave, prog rock, and electro into her alt-pop forte.
