Rocker (feedbot)
Platinum Member
Here’s a trick – When a band catches your ear, seek out their early work first. Listen to those rough recordings, immerse yourself in the lo-fi sound of a band finding their way. You’ll hear their sound evolving, the craft sharpening, the money that success brings, the story. By the time you reach the song that originally spurred your interest, you understand where it has come from and why. Not only will you avoid having to retune your ear to the scruffiness, you’ll hear them move from start-ups to arena-filling rock stars. Unless that band is The Hunna; then the story is far more interesting.
New EP ‘Blue Transitions’ is being presented as a bridge between albums, but actually feels like a reset. As its title suggests, the six songs find the band looking through the lens of sadness in search of a different way to express themselves. After working with producers like Gil Norton on 2022’s self-titled record and John Feldman on 2020’s experiment in electro-pop ‘I’d Rather Die Than Let You In’, it comes as a surprise that this softer, inward-looking release has more in common with emo bands like Saves The Day or The Promise Ring. It’s significantly lower-key, almost the antithesis of their recent work; it’s not what you expect, it’s better.
Everything about the EP, from its cover to the honest, slightly dirty recording sound, feels like more a like a mid-90s emo record than their recent output. It’s more honest, grubbier even. That said, those changes presented with confidence. The rocky opening track, ‘Hide & Seek’ signals the change of pace with the kind of string-bending riff that would be lost in a cluttered production. It’s simple, powerful and really good. On the gently strummed ‘Bloom’, an easy, fluid melody sits neatly with the guitars around it, sounding surefooted yet poignant. That you couldn’t imagine it on any other their other records makes it all the more special. Similarly ‘Clouds’ has the swagger of a jam session but with all the band’s members on the same wavelength so it oozes confidence. Powered by drums, featuring an understated vocal and with a wicked pause after the intro, its brilliance seems so unexpected but effortless – like they’ve innocently reached into their back pocket and pulled out a £50 note.
On the EP’s second half, songs like ‘Tough Love’ and ‘Blue Transitions’ feature guitars saturated with chorus effects, giving them soft, smeared edges and creating the busy, distorted sounds you might find on a shoegaze record. The band’s interplay crackles with an energy, a sort of propulsive melody and atmosphere that feels like they’re playing in a room – indeed everything about the EP from its tone to the artwork has that feel, of a band reconnecting with themselves.
The Hunna’s new EP takes them to unexpected places. Stripping away what they had become, reveals what they always were, skilled musicians and great songwriters. On the closing track Ryan Potter sings ‘I figured it out’, leaving you with the sense they really have.
IAN KENWORTHY
New EP ‘Blue Transitions’ is being presented as a bridge between albums, but actually feels like a reset. As its title suggests, the six songs find the band looking through the lens of sadness in search of a different way to express themselves. After working with producers like Gil Norton on 2022’s self-titled record and John Feldman on 2020’s experiment in electro-pop ‘I’d Rather Die Than Let You In’, it comes as a surprise that this softer, inward-looking release has more in common with emo bands like Saves The Day or The Promise Ring. It’s significantly lower-key, almost the antithesis of their recent work; it’s not what you expect, it’s better.
Everything about the EP, from its cover to the honest, slightly dirty recording sound, feels like more a like a mid-90s emo record than their recent output. It’s more honest, grubbier even. That said, those changes presented with confidence. The rocky opening track, ‘Hide & Seek’ signals the change of pace with the kind of string-bending riff that would be lost in a cluttered production. It’s simple, powerful and really good. On the gently strummed ‘Bloom’, an easy, fluid melody sits neatly with the guitars around it, sounding surefooted yet poignant. That you couldn’t imagine it on any other their other records makes it all the more special. Similarly ‘Clouds’ has the swagger of a jam session but with all the band’s members on the same wavelength so it oozes confidence. Powered by drums, featuring an understated vocal and with a wicked pause after the intro, its brilliance seems so unexpected but effortless – like they’ve innocently reached into their back pocket and pulled out a £50 note.
On the EP’s second half, songs like ‘Tough Love’ and ‘Blue Transitions’ feature guitars saturated with chorus effects, giving them soft, smeared edges and creating the busy, distorted sounds you might find on a shoegaze record. The band’s interplay crackles with an energy, a sort of propulsive melody and atmosphere that feels like they’re playing in a room – indeed everything about the EP from its tone to the artwork has that feel, of a band reconnecting with themselves.
The Hunna’s new EP takes them to unexpected places. Stripping away what they had become, reveals what they always were, skilled musicians and great songwriters. On the closing track Ryan Potter sings ‘I figured it out’, leaving you with the sense they really have.
IAN KENWORTHY