Haest has been a staple in the England punk scene since 2018 and they never stopped delivering great music every year, with two albums and three EPs. Only one year after the release of their latest LP Belabour via TNS Records, the four piece visited Wayne Adams at Bear Bites Horse Studios and recorded five new tracks. Their 4th EP Sight Unseen is going to be available for everyone to stream on April 19th (digital only, for now).
They’ve stated that after welcoming their new drummer Rich at the start of 2023, they felt a change and organically moved away from the sludgy punk they’ve been known for so far, and moved back towards their hardcore roots. Hearing this EP you can definitely feel a more punk hardcore influence in the drumming and general songwriting; however, if you listened to this band before, you can tell this is one of their products from the very first note of ‘You Look Like How Ketchup Smells’. Their distinctive stoner guitar sound played by Dan, combined with the unique cadence of Dave’s vocals and the clangy bass by Mark are just quintessential Haest.
What stands out straight away are the funny song titles which, curiously, all come from conversations that the band overheard. The topics are anything but silly though. Finally some lyrics that are focused on self-critique and our rotten society that are deep, non predictable and well written. Their second and third tracks ‘Listen to This Smell’ and ‘I Don’t Even Know The English For Sun Lounger’ really brought back the more raw punk sound that the band intended. Repetitive riffs, noisy bridges and slower breakdowns; simple but effective.
But it’s the last two songs of the EP that really emerge, and they were rightfully chosen by the band as singles. ‘I Was Bullied By A Horse Once (Really Bad)’ is just a stomp of great stoner guitars and would be a perfect soundtrack in a Guy Ritchie British crime comedy film. And lastly, when you thought these guys just wrote a pretty consistent noise punk album, here comes ‘Erotic Waffle’, which ends the album on a post-hardcore/emo note instead. The build up is intense and the vocals are real and emotional “I live a privileged life alongside all these other privileged lives”.
This five track EP is maybe too short and could have done with another track, but it definitely leaves you excited to see what this band is going to do next. If you slept on Haest so far, go stream this EP and all their previous work and be ready to listen to a band that doesn’t sound like almost anything else you heard before.