This is typified by opening track ‘Breakfast’, which sees Hailu joined by r&b artist Frederick Bantoe. Beginning with neon-soaked synths before segueing into a slick grooves, the song marries throwback and contemporary vibes effortlessly, illustrating how some things don’t change across generations, namely what Hailu describes as “teenage angst, boys, girls and irresponsibility.”

The sentiment extends to the sound too, the EP displaying classic sensibilities while charting its own course. Be it the lush drift of ‘FLOAT’ or spacious and reflective ‘jules <3’, Greetings and Salutations is represents a new generation going through the same old things—wholly recognisable but unique to the contemporary moment.

Greetings and Salutations is out now and you can get it from the Haleluya Hailu Bandcamp page.

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What Hailu describes as a “sad song about something I’d rather move on from but want to capitalize from,” ‘Buttercup’ tells of a relationship gone wrong, but not from the conventional bleeding-heart perspective. Instead Haleluya Hailu takes both responsibility for what went wrong and control of the situation with a sense of headstrong self-belief, turning what could be gloomy and brooding into an empowering feminist breakup song.

The track is rooted in the DIY bedroom pop aesthetic, built on the bare bones of strummed acoustic guitar. But it also draws on pop of the more polished sort, with layered vocals and an easy rhythm that belies the song’s emotional core. But the real standout are Hailu’s vocals, which smolder with soulful power and, combined with her other interests, beliefs and talents mark her as one to watch in the coming years.

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