FM PRO Spotlight
Philadelphia-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mallory Hawk releases Chinook, a debut album shaped by Southern memory, military-town pressure, rage, tenderness, and self-preservation.
Named after the heavy-lifting helicopters she heard growing up in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the record uses that machine as a personal image: rescue, strain, strength, and self-destruction locked into the same frame.
Recorded with Sam Acchione at Headroom Studios, Chinook expands Hawk’s home demos into a full-bodied rock record, with bass, drum machine, organ, rhythm guitar, and lead guitar all feeding its wired, lived-in sound.
For this FM PRO Quickfire 5, Hawk digs into hometown weight, shifting scenes, solo control, emotional extremes, and the studio process behind her debut.
I think we really achieved the sounds I was dreaming up in my head. I prefer to demo alone in Logic and just get everything out raw but I’m starting to feel really limited by my home setup. I do get a bit of demo-itis but I’m not a perfectionist at all.
Q1. Chinook takes its title from the sound of helicopters over your hometown. When did that image start feeling like the emotional centre of the album?
When I was done with the album and had a clear enough brain to reflect on it I was a bit struck by how angry it was. Many songs just have an exasperated anger or some demented thrill where treating myself like a machine is a good thing and carrying a lot of weight should be celebrated. Living in my military hometown while recording Chinook really revealed some truths about my past that I was excavating through the songs.
Chinooks were my favorite helicopter growing up, one of the only ones I could recognize in the sky due to the double propeller. Hearing them fly over again as an adult and remembering their purpose of a heavy-lifting rescue machine, I saw myself in that image. Prone to self-destruction and always carrying too much weight.
Q2. The record moves through Southern childhood, New York scenes, Boston years, and your current life in Philadelphia. How did changing place change the way you understood yourself as an artist?
Oh it changed everything. The music scenes I’ve been interested in since childhood were all centered in the northeastern part of the US. It was a mystical, fast-paced, and culturally-rich place to me. I moved there on my own and thrust myself into the scenes. I was so inspired by how people brought their bedroom recordings to a stage. I met a lot of people there who believed in me before I believed in myself.
Everything they say about NYC is true, the opportunity is everywhere. I would have never had the bravery to make this album if my eyes weren’t opened to that in NYC. I also left my hometown after college and never resided there again until I started recording the record, so I rediscovered my roots through a totally new adult perspective.
Q3. You have spent years playing in bands and supporting other artists. What shifted when you decided to step forward with a solo debut?
It was a fusion of needing control and finally recognizing my potential. I was constantly putting in effort and writing and performing songs that never got released for reasons beyond my control. I was too shy to be the star but I finally realized that I had to do things myself and represent myself so I could release the tunes I was proud of.
I don’t mind the spotlight now, but it took a lot of frightening gigs to get here. I’m not done with bands forever, I’ve already started a new one and joined another. I can’t help it. But now I’ve got my forever outlet and I’m laser-focused on it.
Q4. Chinook carries rage, tenderness, memory, and self-preservation in the same frame. Did you want the album to feel controlled, messy, or somewhere between the two?
Oh gosh, it’s both for sure. I was afraid the record was too “all over the place” but it’s really true to my feelings. I was a chaotic mess of rage and tenderness the last few years and it really shows. I tend to only write songs in those two extremes. They’re the feelings I have the least control over, I need to express myself or it just festers.
Q5. FM PRO TECH Q: You contributed bass, drum machine, organ, rhythm and lead guitars across the record, while also working with Sam Acchione at Headroom Studios. How did that mix of self-played layers and outside studio input shape the final sound of Chinook?
I think we really achieved the sounds I was dreaming up in my head. I prefer to demo alone in Logic and just get everything out raw but I’m starting to feel really limited by my home setup. I do get a bit of demo-itis but I’m not a perfectionist at all. We diligently replicated a lot of my demo stems but also let things bloom naturally. I can now easily recognize when my songs need to be shaken up by adding someone else’s flavor.
Some of my demos were totally done when I sent them to Sam but as we got deeper into the record I started to leave space for him to experiment. I’m really comfortable in the lanes of bass and guitar but oftentimes when something is thrown at me in the studio I choke up since I have no technical training. Sam is much more technical so he kept me calm and I think we were able to really blend our musical instincts. I really conquered some fears and surprised myself in the studio. I suspect I’ll be even bolder on the next album!
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