Album Review: Haiku Hands - 'Haiku Hands'
Haiku Hands are here to lift us from under this year’s heavy clouds with their self-titled dance-pop debut.
Australians Bea Lewis and sisters Claire and Mie Nakazawa have distilled their previous sweaty singles and great live shows into a cohesive full-length.
The trio’s vision is instantly clear, with the confidence to open with ‘Not About You’, their first release three years ago. It’s a club anthem with lyrics meant for screaming. The joy and vibes lead perfectly into the equally gigantic ‘Manbitch’.
One of the highlights of their big sound, and glorious harmonies, is the infectious ‘Jupiter’. It inspires air punches, and fist pumps, which you hope will reach any planet in the solar system.
Haiku Hands are tough to place sonically, but you can see similarities with the work of Australia’s own Confidence Man, or American duo Sofi Tukker. They’re friends with the latter, collaborating on ‘Fashion Model Art’. The track is calling out for synchronised dance moves, even if you have to do them grooving down the street for the time being.
Two-thirds of the way into ‘Haiku Hands’, they have confirmed their ability in dance-pop smashes. So the opening notes of ‘Car Crash’ are surprising, introducing a different side to the group. With an ode to friendship, this is the closest they step to a ballad. It still retains the heart of Haiku Hands, of course, as well as the very catchy refrain of “You’re fucking awesome”. It’s different – but excellent.
Following that stand-out moment, the high-octane energy quickly returns with ‘Super Villain’ and ‘Mechanical Animal’, songs which would suit many contemporary pop playlists while maintaining their individual identity over supreme beats.
It’s an album made of bangers with intention, exploring female empowerment and modern life’s issues of technology, consumerism and surveillance.
Album closer ‘Morning Becomes’ is a calmer, more reflective way to bow out the eclectic array of tracks on ‘Haiku Hands’. The trio do their trademark sound well, but have proven that they will never be just one-trick ponies.
This is time for Haiku Hands to shine, leaving behind a happy, and sweaty, glow with 12 songs that introduce you to their experimental world.
The strength of songwriting means this album could yield many singles. Two previous bangers, ‘Squat’ and ‘Dare You Not To Dance’, don’t even feature. And the truth is, you will dance to Haiku Hands – no dares necessary.
Words by Samuel Draper