Sally Hatchet - “Habitat”

Words by Zach Romano

If you’ve been to a few shows in Brooklyn over the past couple of years, chances are good that you’ve seen Katie Glasgow onstage. In addition to playing keys and singing in Atlas Engine, Katie has performed eponymously, fronting a four-piece band and playing out prolifically. We may have seen the last of her name on show flyers though, as Katie has rechristened her musical identity as Sally Hatchet, a moniker that rests somewhere between an alter ego and a name for the band itself. The band plays a confessional, grunge-inflected indie pop that recalls bands like The Breeders and The Cranberries, and their fantastic first single, “Habitat,” is out today on Favorite Friend Records.

“Habitat” is a complicated, heart-on-sleeve track about your relationship with yourself and your space, with her lyrics forcefully asserting her right to that place and her autonomy to make of it what she wills. Sometimes your space can be a bit ramshackle, though, and your “happy place” can easily be your “heart attack” at the same time. “Habitat” deals with the conflicting feelings you have about your space, your body, and your brain, grounded in an assertion that whether efforts to spruce them up bear fruit or not, they are still no one else’s but yours.

The track, which was produced by Atlas Engine’s own Nick LaFalce, begins on a slow burn with Katie signing in the lower part of her register over a “Come As You Are”-esque guitar line and submerged drums. Everything snaps into focus with the second verse, and after the dissonance in the bridge’s harmonies resolves, the band launches into the chorus, with Katie’s voice moving up at least a register to declare that “It’s my house!”

Stream the track below.

You can also listen to “Habitat” on your streaming platform of choice. Keep up with the project by following them on Instagram.

Sally Hatchet will be performing at Arlene’s Grocery on January 29th. Get your tickets now via Dice.FM