Lucy Hayes Chews Up Genre and Spits Out a Banger on "Adder Stone"

London-based music designer Lucy Hayes is a quadruple threat: composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist. She’s a graduate of the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she earned an honors degree in jazz–something that’s evident in her powerful voice. This technical training shines in her sound, crafting a unique auditory landscape for her audience. Her music is eclectic and electric: 1990s meets 2020s, “Kate Bush reborn in the age of Ableton,” like if Charli XCX took a benzo and linked up with Maude Latour and MUNA in Imogen Heap’s studio–coincidently, Hayes releases under the latter’s label, Megaphonic.

“Adder Stone” is the latest installment in Hayes’ discography. The track is a dreamy pop tune mixed with light shoegaze elements amidst its twinkly keys. There’s a dastardly spicy flute that appears midway through the first verse; the choruses build into trad-pop before being met with chaotic chimes and bells. Hayes swaps dramatic build ups for explorations of miscellaneous sound, yet maintains to create a cohesive track.

Hayes’ talents rear their heads on “Adder Stone,” showing the complex production and engaging pen The woodwind makes a return at the track’s end, further emphasizing the dynamic nature of Hayes’ production. The song flits between these moments of bold confidence with palpable, heavy loneliness. She laments, “I fall in love too easily,” before declaring that she holds up the world with her “high heels on.” She follows shy looks inward for the cocky profession of “give‘em brain then they wanna be my wife.”

“Adder Stone” is a bonafide adventure in sound, and an impressive blend of genre–give it a listen.

Keep up with Lucy Hayes on Twitter and Instagram. You can also find her work in some of your favorite Playstation games!