Music in Focus: ‘The Well’ by Hannah Robinson

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Hannah Robinson is a singer-songwriter from the south coast of England, whose music blends her distinctive voice and soulful melodies with her nonchalant, percussive guitar style and lyrics which are rich with imagery.

With each release, her sound grows with expression and atmosphere, and her latest single “The Well” is yet another example of her ability to create music that instantly grips the listener. Narrating suppressing emotions and inner conflict and pouring it deep into a hidden place inside you, the idea for the song came from the novel The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murikami. The songwriter was taken aback by one line from the book which read, “Maybe you’ve got this deep well inside, and you shout into it.” This sentence would replay in her mind and she would think about the image, relating it to her own experiences. Inspired by the likes of Laura Marling, PJ Harvey, and Jeff Buckley, Robinson has a similar appreciation for lyrics just as much as the sonic appeal, unraveling, “I was curious to see if I could create a feeling and a narrative in this song using fewer words. I liked trying something more lyrically concise, I feel it made me especially selective with the words I chose.”

Featuring guitar from Scott McKeon (Sir Tom Jones, Lana Del Ray), piano from Paul Stacey (The Black Crowes, Tal Wilkenfeld, Noel Gallagher), and drums from Russ Parker (Thea Gilmore), “The Well” comes to life with heart-pounding drums which crash over the calm water of quiet, steady bass and a rising wave of glassy guitars. The fluid vocals are blissfully haunting and angelic, contrasting the grittier undertone and creating a fearsome and spine-tingling atmosphere. Robinson sings in a beautiful cry resulting in a somewhat euphoric feel, alongside the velvety vocals from Phil Brickell.

As a studio and live session singer, Robinson sings and plays guitar for John Illsley (founding member of Dire Straits), touring the UK and Europe.