Etaoin already has a track record of pouring her sadness from heartbreak into her folk infused pop music, but her new song "I Hate Everyone (but I don't mind you)" – a weird kind of compliment set to an upbeat acoustic-pop production – might be called an almost-love-song. At least in her universe.
"I wrote 'I Hate Everyone (but I don’t mind you)' with two of my friends and favourite songwriters ever, Edd Holloway and Nick Atkinson. I remember at the time I was stuck in a situation with this guy who they’d seen me go round and around in circles with for MONTHS," says Etaoin. "I went in to hang out with them one day and we were talking about the confusion of the situation. They both started laughing and they said 'Etaoin, you are the problem here. You’re flirting with his friends and giving mixed signals. You guys need to sit down and just have a conversation.' And I was like DAMN. I realised it was me, I was the problem. So we decided to write a song about it." You know what they say, awareness is the first step to improvement.
With 10 million streams to her name already, Etaoin has gathered praise from the likes of Wonderland Magazine and Amazon Music, while playing her first sold out shows to stunned crowds in UK, Ireland and Germany. The coming months will see more live shows in all three of these territories and a whole lot of new music.
Etaoin live: 11-13 August, Haldern Pop Festival, Germany 19 October, 33 Oldham Street, Manchester 20 October, Camden Assembly, London
"I Hate Everyone (but I don't mind you)" is the last track to be out before Etaoin releases her new EP of the same title. "The song is based around the idea of knowing someone fancies you and fancying them back secretly, but also knowing that you guys would be AWFUL for each other and it would never ever work out. Then also enjoying the fact that it could be a really bad idea. There are so many emotional ups and downs that happen when you start to like someone like that - especially when neither of you are good at talking about your feelings and you’re not sure what’s going on. I think this song really hits the nail on the head about everything that happened during this time. Not caring sometimes and then other times questioning how much I do care? Only having honest conversations when you’re both drunk. Awkward underlying sexual tension at parties. 90% of you wants to run in the opposite direction from it and keep them at a distance, but 10% of you wants to just give in and make out in his room. All of your friends asking you CONSTANTLY 'what’s going on between you and blah blah' and dodging the conversation. Every. Single. Time."