A Chat with Hannah Lou Larsen (31.01.26)
Skipping across the realms of folk with glowing synths, electronic sounds, and a step of “chamber pop meets intimacy”, Hannah Lou Larsen enchants with experimental melodies and poetic lyricism. We speak with the UK-based multi-instrumentalist about her new EP, Peach Pine Ocean, future plans, and much more.
OSR: A rather cliché question: what drew you to music? Why did you choose to pursue music as a career?
Larsen: I was always drawn to sound before I had the language for ‘music career’. I grew up playing piano, singing in choirs and writing little pieces, and it slowly became the way I made sense of things when words felt clumsy. At some point, it stopped feeling like a choice and more like the one thing I kept returning to, so pursuing it as a career was about being brave enough to follow that pull and trust I could carve out my own path, keeping music as a sanctuary even as it became my job, with all the highs and lows that it brings.
OSR: You are Danish-born but are based in the UK. Does the mixture of cultures influence your music at all, and how so?
Larsen: Being Danish and living in the UK colours what I make, for sure. Aside from my stubborn Danish accent that sometimes confuses people, because they only hear a sort of “otherness” but are unable to place where I’m from, there’s a certain Scandinavian melancholy that I carry with me. But it’s filtered through years in London, Glasgow and Oxford’s DIY, experimental and creative scenes. The mix of languages, landscapes and musical communities means I’m always slightly between places, and that feeling of in‑between often ends up in the songs.
OSR: You previously released music as Asthmatic Harp, but are now working under your own name. Why the change?
Larsen: Asthmatic Harp felt like a very specific chapter – more ethereal, folky and slightly fictional. Over time, the songs got more personal, more direct, and it felt strange to hide behind a project name. Using my own name is a way of taking responsibility for the stories and permitting myself to change without having to invent a new alias every time.
OSR: You recently released your EP, Peach Pine Ocean. What can you tell us about it? What was the creative process behind it?
Peach Pine Ocean is a 4-track universe of friendship break‑ups, nostalgia and the strange ache of growing away from people you love. A lot of it grew out of old letters, texts and cassettes where I’d recorded everything from hairdryers to my brother’s breathing, so it’s full of textures and half‑memories. I wrote most of it alone in my little home studio, building songs from synths, clarinet, piano, autoharp and field recordings, until they felt like places you could stand inside.
OSR: You mention that Peach Pine Ocean was inspired by old letters you found – some from your childhood, recording everything from “hairdryers to brother’s breathing”. Do you find that you write better when you’re in the middle of a feeling, or do you prefer to reflect and process the experience?
Larsen: I think I collect and treasure sitting with things in the middle of a feeling, but I write best with a bit of distance. Those old tapes and letters are me ‘in it’, carefully, lovingly documenting everything, but Peach Pine Ocean happened later, when I could see patterns in it all. I like that combination of raw material and a more reflective, slightly wonky lens. That process also frees me up to really dive deep into the recording and production phase, where I can make the most of my training in electronic music and sound engineering and happily go full nerd steam.
OSR: You have released singles as Hannah Lou Larsen and as Asthmatic Harp. Do you feel this new EP is a good representation of you at the moment – personally and professionally?
Larsen: Yes, it feels like an accurate snapshot. It’s still got the experimental and textural side that people might recognise from Asthmatic Harp, but the songwriting is more direct and the production more confident. Lyrically, it’s closer to how I speak and think now, and sonically, it reflects the tools and toys I’ve been obsessing over in the last couple of years.
OSR: What do you hope people take from Peach Pine Ocean, and what do you take from it?
Larsen: I hope people feel seen in those quiet, slightly shameful corners of friendship – the drifting, the not‑texting‑back, the way love can stay even when contact doesn’t. For me, making it was a way of forgiving myself and others for those shifts, and of honouring relationships that don’t have a big, dramatic ending but still leave a mark. If listeners come away feeling a bit less alone in that, that would be perfect
OSR: If you could introduce a new listener to your music, which track from Peach Pine Ocean would you recommend?
Larsen: I’d probably start with ‘I’m Sorry’, a simple electronica-infused heartbreak song inspired by an anonymous letter I found online. I wanted to capture the emotional span of a break-up: the vastness and release alongside feeling trapped and intimate. There’s this relief in letting go of something you’ve fought so hard to keep. If someone connects with that song, they’ll probably find something to hold onto in the rest of the EP.
OSR: What can we expect from you in the future?
Larsen: You can expect a lot more music from me. I’m already writing the next batch of songs and experimenting with new ways of using field recordings and electronics. I’m keen to keep collaborating with theatre and community projects in Oxford, and maybe put out a slightly stranger, more sound-art-focused release alongside the song-based work. I’m also excited to be heading out on a Peach Pine Ocean tour this Spring and release my debut album, hopefully involving many of my Oxford collaborators. And, if all goes well, there might be a new solo show following on from my Offbeat Festival 2024 debut, Pigeons in Transit.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Larsen: Thank you for listening. If Peach Pine Ocean resonates with you, tell someone you miss them, even if it’s just a small message. And if you can, support your local weird little venues and artists – that’s where this music was born.
Many thanks to Hannah Lou Larsen for speaking with us. Find out more about Hannah Lou Larsen on her Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Bandcamp, Soundcloud and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
