Review: HIRAKI & Meejah ‘Interwoven’
In one of the more ambitious releases of the year from Berlin-based Pelagic Records comes a split EP from a duo of Danish bands, HIRAKI and Meejah.
HIRAKI ply their trade making an electronic augmented ‘fractured hardcore’ that they describe as ‘aggressive synthpunk’. Their usual fare balances catchy, but quirky, dance beats and the more traditional, feral cacophony that has seen them collaborate with luminaries such as LLNN and their twisted, but remarkable offshoot John Cxnnor. Through this association, they met The Ocean’s light designer Pierre Roi des Forêts, who helped them connect to Loïc Rossetti (now former vocalist of prog-metal titans) and the rest, as they say, is history.
Meejah, on the other hand, are an experimental post-rock, ambient noise collective consisting of Danish-Korean adoptee Mai Soon Young Øvlisen (vocals/frontperson), Daniel Nayberg, and Andreas Isbrandt Løvenskjold who combine shoegaze, trip hop and Korean pansori singing to create a dream-like soundscape. Following a poignant encounter between Mai Soon and Rossetti at Roskilde Festival during The Ocean concert, the seeds that would become Interwoven were sown.
Working together on the release, the collaboration revealed a new set of emphases for the two Danish bands that would impact the songwriters. The harder-edged HIRAKI would demand that Meejah embrace their darker and heavier side, while in turn HIRAKI would be asked to open their minds to more experimental, intertwining, complex expressions in a longer format.
Rather than dividing the split in half with each taking an equal share, Interwoven literally does what it says on the tin. The four tracks that make up the twenty-five-minute runtime are either Meejah featuring HIRAKI or vice versa, as the two bands truly embrace the spirit of the title.
First up is Redirect Revenge, which bills Meejah first and includes a guest appearance from the common thread that runs between them in Rossetti. Starting low and slow, the hazy undertone of the gentle guitar is joined by a warm hum and deliberate, softly delivered lyrics from Mai Soon. A sequence of feedback introduces a creeping, harder edge with a pounding, industrial doom-like stomp. As the intensity builds, the guitars adopt more of a punch and the garbled vocals of HIRAKI’s Jon Gotlev that bubble under the surface are manic and intense.
Both bands bring their strengths and entwine to produce something that feels unique…
When the track breathes, becoming more melodic again, and the spotlight shines on the guest appearance, it ushers in the final act that becomes a harmonious swell with Mai Soon and Gotlev combining to leave a powerful, lasting impression.
Naturally, with HIRAKI taking the lead, All Contrast is immediately heavier and darker. After the initial smash of the opening, it settles into a seething groove with Gotlev‘s vocals snarling over the violent clashes. The droning loop effects and atmospherics suggest the more expansive influence of Meejah, even as the vocals spit and rage. Much more of a manic maelstrom of sound, the artists bring together threads of their own identity as they, erm, intertwine and stretch the music in both directions in a manner that flows seamlessly.
Preserve Manifest follows on with the darker main thrust of HIRAKI, teasing with dub electronics and spoken word ambience from Mai Soon. The sci-fi serenity is corrupted by the growing bends of the guitar, and then Gotlev‘s raw vocal shouts drag the track towards a grimier path. The nagging, instant beat and scything guitar stabs are interspersed with electronica and shouts from Mai Soon. As the track erupts into a slamming piece of audio violence, the hard-hitting, lurching rhythm becomes hypnotic, rendering you lost in the moment before they abruptly pull the plug.
Meejah bring the curtain down in serene style with Dead Calls. The gentle Indie-light guitar tingles with warmth and melody as Mai Soon‘s vocals lilt over the proceedings in a child-like, innocent fashion. When the mask slips, the track explodes with almost black metal venom; thundering, shuffling drums and blurred guitar notes bristle over the guttural vocals and hammering notes. Oddly, the tone of the guitar remains bright and upbeat despite this savage shift in sound, the yin and yang of both bands on full display until they drop back to the more soothing, hesitant sounds of Meejah to softly close.
Interwoven is a completely self-contained universe. Both bands bring their strengths and entwine to produce something that feels unique. The heavy/soft, quiet/loud dynamic is not new by any stretch of the imagination, but the ethos of the two bands and their sonic directions highlight this ability to exist in the same scene despite such disparate mission statements. By drawing them together, Pelagic have given them the platform for exploration that has resulted in something that is intriguing and begs for repeated listening.
Label: Pelagic Records
HIRAKI: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Meejah: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Mark Hunt-Bryden
