Giving the World Away, the second studio album from Australian artist Hatchie, provides upbeat pop and shoegaze. 

Harriette Pilbeam, known by her stage name Hatchie, is quite adept at crafting an inviting atmosphere on her tracks.

“This Enchanted” is the best example of the warmness common in her tracks. The song has jubilant piano to begin the track, along with a comforting rhythmic drumbeat. During the chorus, the song bursts with explosive guitar normal for shoegaze, giving the track a sound that seems right off of My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless.

“The Rhythm” is another My Bloody Valentine-esque track. The track contains the loudest moments of the record, with the end of the song containing a nuclear moment of guitar that would impress any MBV fan.

“Quicksand” is another song with a welcoming tone. While the track might not open with the most friendly mood, the chorus of the song is bathed in a pleasant guitar and drum rhythm that will draw any listener in.

While Hatchie excels at creating enchanting tones throughout her music, there are a few songs on the project that contain a darker ambiance.

“Lights On” starts the record off with a sense of finality. The song belongs at the end of a climatic movie scene, with its dense instrumentation and inky melodies. While the song has plenty of upbeat moments, its sometimes murky aura is unusual for Hatchie.

The title track, “Giving the World Away,” is another instance of a darker mood. However, this song keeps a dark tone throughout its duration. It contains an urgent piano that sounds similar to Mike Oldfield’s famous “Tubular Bells.”

While the record has plenty of high moments, it also contains supremely bland songs.

“The Key,” “Sunday Song,” and “Til We Run Out Of Air” are indistinguishable from one another. All of these songs fall in the latter half of the album, where the project tends to drag at points. 

These songs could have been trimmed from the record without much consequence, cutting the runtime from a decently long 50 minutes, to a cleaner and more succinct 30-40 minutes.

Even with its sometimes bland tracks, Giving the World Away is an excellent return to an older shoegaze sound.