Hope Tala's Debut Album 'Hope Handwritten' Is Everything We Hoped It Would Be
Hope Tala's debut album Hope Handwritten, is finally here and it was worth the wait. It's been nearly five years since the UK-based artist released her last EP, Girl Eats Sun, with three of those years being dedicated to perfecting her album and shaping it into everything she wanted it to be. Tala revealed that only two of the songs on the album made it from the original idea she had for the project back in 2021. Mixing her mellow indie sound with R&B-soul, pop, and a sprinkle of bossa nova and rap, Tala achieves a beautiful album that is cohesive, mellow, and filled with simple truths.
Tala revealed the final track list to her album with a video on her socials that shows her stacking 16 books, each named after a song on the album. She then carries her track list and dances around the sunlit room. The inspiration is clear, as Tala is a notorious bibliophile and even has a book club called “Novelsong,” where she encourages readers to find connections between the books they are reading and songs they have heard. In a nice easter egg fashion, the book that represents the song “A Story To Tell Where I Begin” is bound with an award medal. In the song, she mentions the lyrics “falling under the spell of winning.” We wonder what other easter eggs Tala has hidden around.
Hope Handwritten begins with the track “Growing Pains (Prologue,)” a relatable tale of feeling lost, but hoping everything will work out… which it will! Lucky number seven, the track “Thank Goodness” quickly sets itself apart as a standout with its more energetic and upbeat rhythm. “A Story To Tell Where I Begin” feels like the key track to this album. She talks about “putting her pen to paper” and telling her story when she can't find any of the answers and feels lost.
What is wonderful about Tala is how straightforward and relatable her words are every single time. We can't help but love that the lyrics don't overcomplicate things, because we have all been where she is. Throughout the album, Tala's voice stays steady. She is a master of being soft-spoken even in her more energetic songs, while still finding the space to hit all of the right notes. The contrast between Tala's voice and the rhythm of each song ends up creating an unexpected but mesmerizing and profound soundscape.
“Lights Camera Action” is a dance-worthy and summery track about enjoying life in the moment without feeling the compulsion to share every moment. “Lose My Mind” surprises you with a rhythmic change and talks about someone who is occupying too much of your headspace with their negativity. Towards the end of the album, she dives into the topic of love in all of its shades, with “Phoenix” serving as an ode to platonic love and “Miracle” and “Shiver” detailing romance's spell, butterflies and all. Yet, heartbreak can't be avoided, but Tala handles it wonderfully in the tracks “I Can't Even Cry” and “Breaking Isn't What A Heart Is For.” The ending track “Heartbeat (the end)” is a stunning display of her voice and features a profound and classical instrumental backing. “I stop thinking about the end,” she sings in culmination.
Besides Tala handwriting all of her lyrics, making her an analog queen; she revealed that the album is a representation of her and all the lyrics are meant to create a feeling of hope—hence the name Hope Handwritten. Talking about topics that affect everyone—love, heartbreak, insecurities, figuring out one's goals, to something as simple as having fun—we can confirm that the Hope Handwritten leaves you with an overall feeling of inner peace and hope.
We just hope that she will announce an accompanying tour soon. For now, she will be opening for Halsey during the “For My Last Trick” tour from May 28 to June 8.
Listen to Hope Handwritten below:
