It has been a very good year for the Electronic music scene. And we’re not going to do one of those posts rattling off all that that entails because the focus here is on Hunter As A Horse and debut LP Paradise Lost. Every time we heard a new single from West Cape, South Africa’s Hunter As A Horse we were enchanted and, while it may seem we were sleeping on what’s been released we were actually biding our time so that we could talk about all of it in one go.
“Here’s To All The Ones” is enthralling with HAAH mastermind Mia van Wyk conjuring up a perfect mixture of Trip-Hop and Post-Punk to form something entirely new and a sound that’s like MNDR fronting New Order. “Kiss Of Death” comes on next and is even livelier with a sound that brings Client to mind… if they dwelled mainly in the dark. “Object” is haunting and could be used as the theme song for Obsession with themes touching on a loss of agency while the start/stop frenetic energy of “Obey” is buoyant and infectious as lyrical content continues to touch on topics surrounding “death, addiction, astral visions, CPTSD, melancholia, nostalgia and magical thinking”.
“The Fortress” is very much a modern Trip-Hop masterpiece and like the second coming of Portishead with hypnotic lyrics to match the hypnotic beats and mesmerizing Synthetic atmosphere that swirls around. The title track is Darkwave divinity with van Wyk’s soothing voice managing to tread a fine line between sweet and sinister as “Go To Bed Now” shimmers to life and brings pulsating poignant prose to awaiting earholes. Deep within, “Leviathan” is a stirring Synthwave ditty, “Lighthouse” is surprisingly uplifting and “Dark Sky” is a steady Synth-fueled stomp that’s akin to a dirge before “Dead Things” tidies things up with a bout of programmed beats and lush and airy vocals from van Wyk.
Paradise Lost is out through Metropolis Records on July July 24th and you can find your best version by heading here or to the stream below. For more from Hunter As A Horse, hit up the socials found by clicking here, here or here.