Irish producer Olive Hatake gets contemplative in textured electronic track “THESE FEELS AGAIN”

Hailing from Ireland, producer Olive Hatake’s songs come from deep inside his chest, and he allows the demons there to spill out of him through the touch of a synth. With his latest record BOYS NEED LOVE, which took two years to create, Hatake puts society’s struggles with masculinity at the center of the album, using lo-fi and electro-pop beats to frame the emotionally charged lyrics. “BOYS NEED LOVE explores my journey on how I overcame depression and years of mental health and internal self-torture that society played a huge role in creating,” he said.

While Hatake is disappointed that this side of man isn't spoken about enough, he also sees a light at the end of that dark tunnel. “I’ve come to learn that there’s also beauty within the depression and letting yourself experience and go through it. Some of the best art we make is when we use this dark energy for good. The pain is just as beautiful as the joy.”

Not ready to move past the themes present here, Hatake released an extended version of BOYS NEED LOVE today. Enter BOYS NEED MORE LOVE, featuring instrumental versions of the original album’s tracks, along with four completely new songs.

The focus track “THESE FEELS AGAIN” features Haresquead's Tony Konstone. Here bright chords ring out from a synthesizer, slowly sinking listeners into the single. Featuring driving live drums and syncopated guitar lines, the song engages both rhythmically and lyrically and becomes even more so as the soundscape grows. New electronic voices, both figuratively and literally, appear until the lo-fi canvas of the track feels all-encompassing and whole. It gives listeners a space to contemplate the track’s vulnerable lyrics as the speaker struggles to help his friend remain present and engaged with reality.

Akin to producers like Fred again.. and Daft Punk, and taking influence from modern acts like Nala Sinephro and EDEN, Hatake finds inspiration in Irish creatives like alt-R&B producers Jafaris and Ollie Fay, as well as from his Angolan roots and the rediscovery of his faith.

Celebrating the album’s release with a sold-out pop-up show in Dublin, and another show to come supporting Jersey on December 17th at the Button Factory, Hatake is just getting started.