New York rock outfit Hazel Gaze bring the immediacy of the stage into sharp focus with Do As You Please, the lead single from Strung Out: Live & Unplugged at the Brooklyn Conservatory. Recorded at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, the project revisits the intimate performance format associated with the classic unplugged era while giving the band’s rock songwriting a fuller, more expansive treatment through live strings and a carefully considered arrangement.
Described by Hazel Gaze as “Sophisticated Spite,” Do As You Please finds its musical identity in the tension between grit and refinement. The song channels classic rock instincts into a performance that feels loose enough to retain its live character but focused enough to showcase the detail within the arrangement. A raspy, commanding lead vocal drives the track, while layered backing vocals and strings add weight and dimension without diluting its rock foundations.
The live setting proves particularly effective here. Rather than functioning as a straightforward recreation of a studio recording, the performance allows the chemistry between the musicians to become part of the track itself. Each instrumental element has room to register, giving the song a sense of movement and spontaneity that reinforces Hazel Gaze’s strengths as a live outfit.
Recorded by Grammy-nominated engineer Daniel Alba, whose credits include Jack White, Tom Morello and Norah Jones, Strung Out places musicianship at the centre of the project. Hazel Gaze’s collective experience across touring, recording, Broadway and classical performance informs an arrangement that feels both seasoned and instinctive.
With Do As You Please, Hazel Gaze demonstrate how a familiar acoustic-rock format can still feel relevant when the emphasis remains on performance, arrangement and chemistry. It is a confident introduction to a project that captures the band not simply unplugged, but fully engaged with the possibilities of live music.
