CatchLight Recordings Artist: Hectorine
Hectorine is a music project led by Sarah Gagnon that was conceived in San Francisco and named after her late paternal grandmother. Gagnon’s contralto is most often compared to certain low-voiced luminaries of the 60s and 70s, but while the music indeed plumbs the depths of the past, it is simultaneously grounded in the present. The vocals serve as the centerpiece of the music, which is poppy, atmospheric, and extremely lyrical. Celestial synths are balanced by terrestrial guitars as the songs explore themes of love, loss, nature, and the cosmos.
Hectorine’s eponymous debut was self-released in January 2019, and the follow-up, Tears, was released earlier this summer on Paisley Shirt Records. Though Hectorine has gone through several lineup changes over the years, Gagnon is now joined by Max Shanley on guitar, Betsy Gran on keyboards, Matt Carney on bass, and Laura Adkins on drums.
Photograph by Bella LaPorte