Biography

Under the mysterious name H. Hawkline, singer/songwriter/guitarist Huw Evans crafts melodic, slightly surrealist pop confections that fall somewhere between post-punk and psych-pop. Often working in tandem with the like-minded Cate Le Bon, his jagged, slightly off-kilter melodies are offset by the naked tenderness of his singing voice. Early albums like 2015's In the Pink of Condition hid his emotions behind a curtain of abstract artiness and 2023's Milk for Flowers tore it away, substituting pianos for guitars and placing Evans' detailed, heartbroken lyrics at the fore. Cardiff, Wales-raised Evans' -- who appropriated the project's name from author Richard Brautigan's 1974 gothic Western The Hawkline Monster -- first collection of self-described "strange pop" arrived in 2010 with the independently released A Cup of Salt. The Strange Uses of Ox Gall arrived the following year, and in 2012 he issued an EP, Black Domino Box. He inked a deal with Heavenly Records in 2013, and in 2014 issued a compilation of previously released tracks called Salt Gall Box Ghouls. Evans also traveled to Los Angeles to record his official debut for the label. The resulting In the Pink of Condition, which was produced by fellow Welsh pop auteur Cate Le Bon, arrived in early 2015. Previously, he had played guitar in her band, live and on record. Proving himself a useful session musician, he played guitar for Sweet Baboo, and contributed bass on two Kevin Morby albums, Harlem River and Still Life. The fourth H. Hawkline album, I Romanticize, was released in June of 2017. It was recorded in Los Angeles and Wales, and featured a band made up of Evans, Le Bon, Warpaint drummer Stella Mozgawa, and keyboardist Josiah Steinbrick. Following the album's release, Evans continued to work with Le Bon, appearing on her 2017 album Reward and co-producing 2022's Pompeii. He also struck up a professional (and personal) relationship with New Zealand singer/songwriter Aldous Harding. He joined her live band and was featured heavily on both 2019's Designer and 2022's Warm Chris. When it came time for Evans to record again, his songs took a turn toward more personal lyrical terrain as he processed the death of his mother. He also shifted toward a more organic sound that revolved around pianos instead of jagged post-punk guitars. Joining him on the Le Bon-produced recording session for 2023's Milk for Flowers were notables like Tim Presley on guitar, Boy Azooga's Davey Newington on drums, Paul Jones of the band Group Listening on piano, and a horn section made up of members of Sweet Baboo and Younghusband. The album was issued by Heavenly in March of 2023. ~ James Christopher Monger & Tim Sendra, Rovi