Changing one’s sound can often be a bit of a gamble – take Architect’s latest album as an example. Although it might have topped the charts and created new fans aplenty, diehards have been less than thrilled, likening them to diluting an already stellar product to appeal to the radio friendly listeners. Fellow Brightonians Harker are in a similar position. Having changed their sound with latest release ‘Axiom’, they’ve instead let more of their personality shine through, with blistering results.
Opening with ‘The Beast Must Die’, you’re immediately met with dissonance before the rhythms kick in with a wall of sound, setting their stall out early. This isn’t like their previous material, this is a whole new, revitalised sound. While some aspects remain in place, including vocalist Mark Boniface’s and bassist Phoebe Saunders’ exceptional harmonies, there’s a new life that permeates both through this track, and the album as a whole. A crustier, grittier sound with every aspect turned up to the cliché of eleven. Perhaps most interesting, and something that was pointed out on The Punktastic Podcast, is the guitar solo. An almost synthy riff from guitarist Tony Ware, it comes out of left field with a sound that very nearly appears to be out of tune, yet is as impactful as it is memorable. As one fan said, “It’s all the wrong notes played in the right order” and we couldn’t agree more.
Second single ‘Adulthood’ opens at a slower tempo, with heavy licks from the rhythms. Defining themselves as ‘emogaze’, this track exemplifies that definition. The sonics of shoegaze with desperately evocative emo lyrics, its message is about accepting yourself as you grow, allowing imperfections and making them your own, secure in the knowledge that eventually, everything will be okay. The chorus line of “the hardest thing to learn, the deepest wounds take a little longer” particularly sticks out as a mantra to live by.
For fans of their 2018 debut LP ‘No Discordance’, an album that sat largely within the emo punk genre, there are still tracks that sit comfortably within that definition. ‘Hellion’ and ‘Flex Yr Head’ have a Jimmy Eat World feel that works as a familiar taste breaker between screeching guitars and lingering bass notes. Again, the harmonies between Boniface and Saunders work particularly well, softening the choruses.
For all the might and power in tracks like ‘The Beast Must Die’ and ‘Sigh Of Crows’, Harker are able to provide a more balladic side, too, with ‘The Grey Lady’ and ‘Daisychain’ allowing an outlet for a more atmospheric sound. The riff in ‘The Grey Lady’ particularly stands out – far removed from the eclectic solo from ‘The Beast Must Die’, it’s an elongated shriek that delicately builds into a goosebump inducing climax. It might not be the most technical riff but, similar to Weezers ‘Say It Ain’t So’ riff, it’s perfectly placed, perfectly structured and the perfect closer to a song that will touch a lot of people.
If there’s one song that’ll wake you up after a day in a beer garden, it’s ‘Moriah’. Acting as a double shot espresso, ‘Moriah’ has a more classic punk sound, one that’s full of repetitive rhythms, subtly driven by the bassline and pounding drums of Matt Claxton. Leaning heavily on the distortion pedals and a more gravely vocal performance from Boniface, there’s more crunch in this track than a mouthful of Twiglets, with minor breaks of muted chords, leaving you just enough time to savour the taste before the onslaught continues.
Closing track ‘Antenna’ sees Harker at their most experimental. Clocking in at six and a half minutes, it’s their longest release to date. Chunky layers of distortion in the intro build to a frantic verse as quick as it is precise. Boniface’s vocals are at their most strained, almost verging on unclean, bellowing to get over the heaped rhythms. As the verse subsides, a lengthy squeal of dissonance appears that then gives way to a clean verse, followed by choral echoes that leave a haunting yet satisfying sense of urgency. Whether it was intended or not, it feels like a concept piece, a story told over 4 parts, closing with a spoken word statement on environmental welfare.
There’s sometimes a complacency with sophomore LPs that comes with a tendency to continue the trend they set in their first releases, and it takes a band with immense bravery to step away from their original sound. Harker haven’t just stepped away, they’ve taken a running leap to surpass it. Full of quirkiness and despair, a mess of noise riddled with subtleties and, most importantly, an incredibly unique sound, this is a band letting their personalities shine. Stretching themselves to their absolute limit, ‘Axiom’ is an album that very clearly shows what Harker have been hiding away. If they continue to build on their new sound and ability to blend shoegaze, emo and grunge, the sky is truly the limit.
ANDY JOICE