Alas, here I find myself again trying to find something to write about in the world of music. Following last week’s outright thrashing of a troll, I felt the need to find something that was actually trying to be vital. I could just review the new Marilyn Manson album, but I knew deep down that my lack of love for metal music would mean that I’d be left in a big hole. Also, it would break my track record of not listening to any Manson album because… I just don’t get whatever that guy’s going for. I wanted to go for something that I could understand on a fundamental level, and sometimes that comes in unexpected corners of the world.
Enter Haiku Hands. After sampling a bunch of the new albums, I found myself unable to latch onto most of them. They were good, but what could I actually say that was any value. Then, I heard “Manbitch” and oh boy did I understand it clearly. I think back to the Riot Grrl day of the 90s, specifically Le Tigre, and suddenly I recognize this sound. It’s as much Bananarama as it is Kathleen Hannah or even Sleigh Bells and Icona Pop. It was a dance club screaming loudly, demanding attention as girls swung so fast that their hair became blurs underneath the lights. They may have been angry, but they were chic, able to harmonize their anger in ways that I recognized.
Even if “Haiku Hands” marks their debut album, research quickly made me realize how far behind the times I was. Some of these songs are two years old, serving as the origins of a band who would dominate the festival circuit, stealing attention from the bigger headliners and proving to be the future of music, a force that will demand attention and provide a handful of hits along the way. They were subversive, playing with the image of girl groups while making you dance your feet off. It’s an inexplicable energy that you’ll either understand right away or never fully appreciate and, thankfully, I think that Haiku Hands is more than a wonderful name. They’re a band that has something to say.
On the one hand, this is just a compilation of songs. How could it not be when the first song, “Not About You” came out in 2017? The best that can be said is that this is a greatest hits package of the various singles released throughout this time, looking for a home and a place to prove that this band was more than an obscure track. As an Australian export, they have so much going for them, and coming out the other side is a whirlwind of energy that is undeniable. What makes it more incredible is that even if the band has a singular driving force, they rarely feel content to stop trying to outdo their style on the next song. It’s as much an aggressive record as it is thought-provoking, exploring toxic relationships and the art world alongside their own personal cheeky sense of humor that makes songs like “Manbitch” hard to not smile to, if just a little.
Before I continue, I have to tell you that I found this whole album to be an infectious, upbeat delight. I knew that the album was going to be special when the opening song featured lyrical gymnastics that caught me off-guard. It wasn’t so much what was said, but the fact that they had a rhyming dictionary that clearly had every page frayed, trying to come up with the perfect passage. “Not About You” has a moment early one that gave me hope when they sing:
I’m going to tear up the lexicon with a hexagon and my sexy thong on
No matter where your head is gone or where you’re from I’ma take you on
It’s not about you
I’ma shake it like I’m Esteban on an auto barn with a cordless arm n
I’ll see you at the afterparty with a pink bugatti and an evil scar band
Yes, I know that it doesn’t mean a whole lot, but when paired with that delightful dance beat, the harmonies reaching a proto-punk level of inspiration, you begin to see this as an artful collage. This isn’t entirely about a point. More established artists couldn’t write a braggart rhyme scheme half as fun as this part, and there’s still 11 songs to go. This is like working on an elliptical. How do you possibly keep the energy getting, and what possible images will you throw into things? I don’t even think you need to hear the beat, the interior rhyme is superb and punctuates every line nicely.
The aforementioned “Manbitch” is a Europop sensation, recalling Kraftwerk with a male singer who is fine with being seen as an animal to the women. It’s a premise so ridiculous that the simple repetition of the chorus, no matter how positive and affirming it is, can’t help but make you smile. This is a playful takedown of the patriarchy, and the way it manages to reverse gender roles only helps to prove how much this album is going to play with standards. They are first and foremost an art band, able to look at culture and add this quiet punk rock approach that is equal parts commentary and lambasting. It’s more prevalent on “Fashion Model Art” where they tackle pretentious critics more head-on, but it’s evident if you listen carefully.
On the one hand, this album exists largely in one gear, which is loud and fast. Songs like “Onset” can’t help but sing in harmony as electric tinge echoes behind them about sweating and giving into a passion. There’s so much life in these songs, and they all come with a wink and a nod, knowing that they’re all having fun. For whatever redundancy there is on this album, there are a few songs the prove how much range they’re likely to have in the albums ahead. The fourth song “Jupiter” trades the more common dance fringes in favor of a guitar-driven song, not unlike Bananarama. It’s retro without feeling like a pastiche, full of these small melodic bridges that keep the song interesting all the way through.
Later songs like “Eat This Bass” may exist on the same wavelength as most of the album, but it’s more driven by a bass-line and a confrontational vibe that feels like a voice shattering glass. It’s all so intense, and yet it feels grounded in a very strange concept. It feels like a pop song falling apart, and yet it does so with such catchy elegance that you can’t help but be charmed by what it has to say about everything.
In the most interesting twist on the whole album, “Car Crash” drops the theatrics in favor of a more acoustic set, driven again by a bass. It finds them talking about a relationship that they equate to a car crash that they can’t turn away from. Even if the subject seems morbid, they have this delightfulness in their voice, somewhat vindictive, but overall capturing something relieving of those who know toxic relationships very well. How do you turn away from a mess? For some, it’s way too difficult. As the longest song on the album, it does plenty to find a soul and meaning to its quiet premise.
The last truly great song on the album is “Super Villain,” which takes its premise quite literally in song form. It’s the embodiment of “fuck this shit” played out over three minutes as the yelling distorts, the beat growing so rambunctious that it makes you understand rage on a visceral and immediate level. It’s all so powerful that you can’t help but be engaged. The rest of the songs may be good, but this is an album whose tricks are most enjoyed in small doses. Together, they’re a collection of top-notch ideas that don’t really gel.
Still, if this is the calling card for Haiku Hands, I’m more than excited to see what they have going on next. In a time where the world needs to dance, I’m glad to put this next to Charli XCX in terms of reliable upbeat albums that are sure to get you moving. It’s a great motivational album, simultaneously full of rage and humor. The beats will connect to your soul, able to make feel rejuvenation deep down. It’s a beautiful, spiritual experience listening to the best of this album, and it manages to do so with all of these clever ideas grounding them as more than filler nonsense. Sure, some of it is literal filler nonsense, but when it connects so much with the concept of energy, it’s very forgivable.
For a debut album, it conveys everything nicely in a way that makes you understand what this band is about. There’s a strong chance that they’ll stick with you, having a few earworms by the time that the album ends. While this usually isn’t my type of music, it does its genre proud with an approach that speaks to a pseudo-punk take that I really like. There’s so much going on in these songs that I was never bored, even if the lesser songs faded out of mind. Still, as I write this later on, I’m left feeling like I’ve found a hidden gem that will continue to grow. I can only hope that the diversity reflected here is a sign of a more interesting sound to develop. Otherwise, I’ll be happy to dance the night away to whatever they do next.
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