Coalescing in the deep Cornish countryside around Redruth, free from the fashions, foibles and fripperies of the mainstream music scene, HANTERHIR grew a sound all their own around freak rock, post-punk, hip-hop, alt-rock and world music, woven together with the silken threads of spooky psych-folk and trippy electronica and alternating between English and Cornish lyrics.
Darallow is taken from their forthcoming album The Saving Of Cadan (out on 27 July). Hanterhir’s frontman Ben explained more about the song:
“Darallow is from the point of view of Morwenna, telling where she is at that point in the tale. She tells us about being trapped in the lake and feared by the local people and goes on to say how she changed when she fell in love with Cadan and that nothing now will be the same. The song is in Cornish as this is her language and, for the purpose of the story, is the language of the spirits. When Cadan becomes trapped in the lake he then speaks only in Cornish.”
The album featured an extended family of numerous musicians, facilitators and hangers-on, Hanterhir remains stable at Jason (drums, percussion), Ben (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Peasy (guitar, vocals), Grant (bass, vocals), Mike (saxophone, keyboards, vocal) and Lou (flute, vocals).
“The important thing to me about the band is that we are authentically Cornish,” says Ben. “And having a Cornish name sort of solidifies that idea. Being Cornish to me doesn’t mean that we ignore our influences or what we grew up with, but rather than that, we embrace it.
“The songs are all there to try and tell parts of a story,” he says of The Saving Of Cadan. “The story is about a boy, Cadan, who tries to drown himself in a lake on Carn Marth and gets saved by a wicked spirit who was cursed to the lake (The Lady of the Lake or Morwenna).”
Recorded over an extended period in a Methodist chapel, a llama farm, a cricket club and – just to be on the safe side – a conventional studio, the album is the first fruit of a relationship with internationally renowned – and Cornwall-based – Easy Action Records. Spread over a budget-stretching 5 sides of vinyl or 2 CDs, the album is a mammoth project but, as Freddie Mercury said, “If something’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing”.
Having already forged a loyal following across the Southwest, Hanterhir are now turning their eyes toward the wider UK. We’re confident this will bring them in a wider fanbase.
Find them here https://hanterhir.com
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