Album review: THE HARA – The Fallout
Mascot Records [Release date 23.01.26]
This album from The Hara tackles mental health struggles and subjects of toxicity and self-doubt along with the pitfalls of the industry on their journey. Channelling this into their livewire performances has seen them pick up shows with Sum 41, Escape the Fate, Nothing More, Ice Nine Kills and festival slots at Reading and Leeds, Download, Slam Dunk, 2000 Trees and more.
I decided to dive into the album with a track by track review then place my overall thoughts on the album as a whole.
Let’s get stuck in!
Trophy: this opening track was ferocious.
The vocals were an exceptional example of range. There was a melodic outpouring growing into metal screams in key words and sentences such as “so they give a f**k about me” it was truly powerful and very clever.
There was a particular guitar lick in the closing section of the song that goes on an upper trajectory at a lightning pace but yet was just so effortless it immediately caught my attention from a musical standpoint.
Easier to Die: Lyrically I thought the line “Red bricks for cages, But you can personalise and paint it” was so incredibly clever. I mostly thought of my home as a sanctuary but there have been times where it has actually been like a cage, many may feel imprisoned for various reasons. But when I thought that was the best lyric of the track they come out with “Too much time inside my head, time inside my head,
Where flowers used to grow, Bullets fly instead” holy moly! This resonated with me so hard! This needs to be on a T-shirt immediately!
The feel musically was heavier and for good reason. The melody really complimented the lyrics with dropped down bass giving it a darker tone.
Monsters and Demons: up tempo with added electronic elements. This was fast paced and punchy. Showcasing variation and ability to change it up in sound.
“More a devil than a saint but we’re all the same” absolutely! Nobody is perfect and we all indeed have monsters and demons that will rear their heads once in a while.
Twist the Arrows: ok so I took away from this lyrically a hell of a lot of recent life experience.
So my take on this is that you try and talk about how you’re feeling, and you have friends who you think you can talk to, and every time you try they just back off. So you mask it to try and make them stay. But they don’t seem to care. But you want them there. So you just bury your feelings. It’s draining you. But you soon realise it’s no good for you so you let go “it’s the end of an era”
I have experienced this recently. But you realise that sometimes an end of an era is what’s needed to heal and become much stronger than that friendship ever was. This was truly lyrical poetry in motion for me.
Stay: the drumming on this was at the forefront. It was stunning!! So many tempo switches and tricks. Little nuances to pop punk in there as well.
The vocal guttural scream on the line “you’re suffocating me” hit me like a bullet in the chest.
The System: Techno metal pop punk was exactly the vibe I got in from this.
There was an almost acoustic breakdown on the guitar before belting back into full throttle mode that just gave me this little shiver and I thought it was a nice detail that added to the tracks overall depth. The metal breakdown was everything I love about modern rock and metal music. It made my hairs stand up on end.
Saying a massive F.U to I’m assuming the music industry and how it can make you lose yourself and your authenticity. But it can also be about the world today and how corrupt some aspects of it are and how the media can sometimes portray this “perfect” image and standard. I’m with you there! Absolutely not! Be authentically you and a massive F.U to those who try and dim your shine.
Psycho Killer: oh my god!!!
This was presenting a goth rock /dark tone. It was giving me a nod rob zombie and Marilyn mason musically.
The vocals were low and guttural and such a switch up from previous tracks that I was actually stunned. I wasn’t expecting the switch up, but I was here for it!
Kings: I got from this the feeling that when you’re with someone and they are literally dragging you down, but no matter how hard they try and make you fall it won’t bring them any higher.
Bury me: this took me back to 16/17 year old me, and If I’m honest. I would go and give that girl a hug, and tell her she matters, and she always mattered.
I cried so many tears at this track. I can’t actually write any more about this as it brought back many painful memories for me. But all I will say is that if you listen to it and was like me at 16/17, you’ll understand.
Violence: this track lyrically depicts pretty much exactly how it was for me when I had a big relationship break down. The added vocal from as December falls front-woman “ Becky “showcases perfectly both sides of the coin in the breakdown of a relationship. The vocals blended together were complementary and neither outshined the other.
Intergalactic Sabotage: “hand cuffed by creation, musical castration, anything for monetisation” fantastic emphasis on how some music labels and companies are more about profits than welfare of the band and focus on “what sells” and not much more. I loved the switch up in the breakdown of this. It was gritty, heavy and raw. The riffs were very prominent.
Enemy: this ending track was a true anthem of angst and pain amidst a high energy musical arrangement. I love listening to tracks that engage on every level. And “enemy” did just that.
Musically this album is amazing. It’s up there in sound with bring me the horizon as I got many nods to their overall style , however The Hara are very much in their own lane and whilst there may be influence, it’s definitive they’re very much in their own league. With many changes in tone and pace that I was taken back with how the whole album flowed so effortlessly, within the high to low and dark to light. Nuances to pop punk, new metal, electro, goth rock truly shows that the band are indeed just writing music from the heart and not sticking to one particular sound, they aren’t afraid to switch it up and go against the grain. By staying true to their creative vision and pushing the boundaries of genre, music has been created that is both unique and engaging. This only allowing them to not just evolve as artists but also to connect with listeners on a deeper level.
I personally feel that this album came to me at exactly the right time. There is so much lyrically I can resonate with so I can see the passion and soul that’s behind every single lyric written. The pain and life experience faced and overcome.
I am in absolute awe that I have personally never been able to express those feelings the way that The Hara have exquisitely done. It’s exposing the very things that most wouldn’t dare to speak about. It about coming into your truth and facing it head on. I genuinely couldn’t be prouder. I have been moved to tears.
This album is perfectly crafted with passion, pain and truth. Everything is laid bare and there are no holds barred. ****1/2
Review by Lucy Parr
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THE DEADMANS Nice Kid (indie)
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