Gretel’s ‘Squish’ Album Release Show in London 

Words by Beth Ford

At Oslo Hackney, Gretel Hӓnlyn celebrated the release of her new album Squish with a sold-out show. 

The show’s support act was Ashaine White, an indie artist born and bred in Hackney. Ashaine’s beautiful, soulful voice was showcased in her pared-back renditions and impressive riffs and runs. She performed multiple new songs, including Party, which she described as being “about all the places I don’t want to be”, and Hug Me. She closed out her set with her song Let Me Down, pulling in the audience to sing along and provide the harmonies. 

Photos by Alex Frances

Between the sets, the room was packed and thrumming with anticipation. Finally, Gretel strolled onto the stage with her four other bandmates in tow. The show opened with the new album’s title track Squish, beginning with an Irish-folk inspired intro and deep vocals before breaking into a rock, drum-heavy crescendo. The song is about the suffocating pressures of being a woman, and really sets the tone for the rest of the album. The second song, Witch hunt, leans into more of Gretel’s grunge-rock sensibilities, with an incredible guitar solo from the lead guitarist. Darkness, be my friend, Gretel describes as “one of my favourite songs on the album”, and the roaring cheer from the crowd showed it’s clearly a fan favourite as well. Opening with slower, mesmeric high-notes, the song explores painful memories, building in intensity, but in a way that feels hopeful and empowering still, despite the subject matter. 

After the haunting, nostalgic Laurali, Gretel sat down at the front of the stage, eye to eye with the audience, for the husky vocals of Drunk on the ballroom floor. Before the song Wiggy, she declared this “could either go really well or really badly”, to which a member of the crowd shouted, “badly”; luckily for us, Gretel says she’s decided to give us “the good version”. The song opened with a crazy, 80s rock-inspired guitar performance, while Gretel and her lead guitarist played back to back, leaning against each other as the lights strobed. 

As we neared the end of the show, Gretel said, “this is the one I can’t get off the number one spot on Spotify, for better or for worse”, before jumping into her pop-rock song Drive. The crowd bounced along to the catchy “oh oh ohs” as the punchy drums thread through the song. Fittingly, the set finished the album’s final song The perfect body, a vulnerable song about battling an eating disorder and discovering your own autonomy. 

Squish is a fantastic indie pop-rock album with a little bit of everything you could want, and Gretel’s dynamic stage presence makes her a must-see for live shows. 

Photos by Alex Frances