Give a listen to Lilly Hiatt‘s 2012 release Let Down, and you’ll be struck by the way she chronicles the emotional landslides and roller coasters of growing up. Hiatt has a way of capturing that angst, that transitional time between youth and adulthood, through sheer poetry. Tracks like “Knew You Were Coming” leave you absolutely heartbroken as Hiatt sings of inner turmoil in a voice beyond her 28 years. Then cuts like the guitar-heavy “Big Bad Wolf” spare no punches on the fool who should’ve known better than to break this girl’s heart (“Well, an easy way to make yourself feel big and tall/ is slinging all my guts across the kitchen wall…”).
When asked about her sound, Hiatt’s personal go-to description is “spacey country,” and granted, it’s got a diverse mix of equal parts indie, Americana, country, and folk. But there’s no denying that rock ‘n’ roll is at the top of the list.
Don’t miss Lilly Hiatt’s performance tonight at the Cactus Cafe, 24th St. and Guadalupe, in the Texas Union. The ever-fierce and fantastic Bonnie Whitmore will start the show. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the music starts at 8 p.m. Check it all out.
