“Haag The Huge” is the latest release by Haag, an Iranian quartet based in Tehran. It’s their debut extended play release unleashed on October 25th that carries five incredible compositions. Heavily promoted by “Buoyancy” and “Glows In Blue,” two excellent tracks that vividly showcase Haag’s songwriting, composing, arranging, and producing abilities, this marvelous release will instantly appeal to anyone looking for cleverly assembled and flawlessly composed music. Soundwise, Haag combines a wide array of more or less complementary music genres to illustrate luxuriant sonic imagery. Perhaps alternative rock comes to mind, but don’t be surprised if you stumble upon some of the finest elements borrowed from blues rock, classic rock, post-rock, indie rock, or shoegaze. They use all these additional elements as more than necessary enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other details to elevate these five tracks to new heights while simultaneously remaining loyal to the primary sonic direction. They incorporate these sonic ingredients with such precision and finesse, thinking about even the tiniest details and nuances while doing it. Therefore, these experimentations with many different but complementary music genres resulted in a magnificent debut EP that will satisfy even the pickiest ears.
As soon as this epic sonic journey commences with “Alpha Grade” and then comes to an end with the closing notes and beats of the title track, this band never ceases to amaze with their brilliant ideas and marvelous orchestrations. Each composition arrives with a perfect structure, adorned with profoundly detailed segments where each of those ideas and instrumentations shines divine. You’ll immediately notice that this band doesn’t rely upon lush vocal harmonies. Quite the contrary, they solely rely on their sonic and rhythmic maneuvers, which unquestionably play a main role in constructing a luxuriant sonic universe where each new idea becomes a fine piece of sonic artistry. One of the first details that you’ll also notice is how each instrument has its place in purpose in this sonic equation. Thanks to the sound quality that meets all the latest trends in contemporary music production, you’ll notice everything these highly skilled musicians intended to achieve with their music. The guitars are positioned upfront, creating a perfect backdrop for everything you’ll hear while traveling through this sonic universe. The comprehensive collection of catchy, memorable, engaging, expertly arranged, and flawlessly performed riffs, chord progressions, harmonies, melodies, themes, leads, and other sonic maneuvers will leave you speechless, as each composition arrives packed with all of these. The interplay between multiple guitar channels brings more complexity to already intricate song structures while the perfect balance between calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal moments and more dynamic, energetic, abrasive, and powerful segments contributes to the entertaining value of this material. Because of these instrumentations, “Haag The Huge” sounds and appears as a shining sonic display that vividly demonstrates how longevous music genres like alternative, indie rock, post-rock, or shoegaze can still sound fresh, unique, versatile, exciting, and entertaining.
Just as guitars, Haag also included an entire amalgam of synths, keys, and rhodes in their music, contributing to the retro or modern sound, depending on the mood and ambiance of these songs. These rich and luxurious ambiances, harmonies, melodies, and virtuosity perfectly pair all those guitars, spicing things up and uplifting everything to an entirely new level. These keys and synths are sometimes subtle and sometimes dominant, but they always hit the point with their presence. Of course, this sonic journey wouldn’t sound this good without the rock-solid rhythm section. You’ll hear how all those equally intricate, vividly hearable, warm-sounding basslines rumble beneath the guitars and synths, providing more than necessary heaviness, clarity, and depth while binding everything together with the rhythmic patterns. These low-ends are rich, dense, and heavy, contributing more power to the overall listening experience. In the meantime, the tastefully arranged, flawlessly performed, well-accentuated, moderate beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics keep everything in line while dictating groove and tempo. These rhythmic sequences give more than necessary punch to the calm, soothing, relaxing, and ethereal instrumentations provided by the remainder of the band. Haag thought about everything while assembling this material, so if the guitars and synths serve as more than the necessary backdrop to keep listeners’ attention, then the bass guitar and drums act as a backbone, holding everything together. It’s a well-constructed sonic scheme that will keep you occupied even when the last notes and beats fade.
With their debut, Haag created an instrumental voyage that will satisfy even the pickiest music enthusiasts. “Haag The Huge” isn’t just a sonic platform dedicated to alternative rockers. Quite the contrary, it’s a welcoming introduction to all those listeners interested in discovering some fresh, unique, and fascinating music. With tracks like bluesy “Alpha Grade,” synth-psychedelic “Keep Under Wraps,” shoegazey “Glows In Blue,” hard-rocking “Permeable Isolation,” and a glorious closure presented through the title track, Haag has created a versatile masterpiece that will immediately become one of your favorite instrumental rock releases this year. “Haag The Huge” deserves your utmost attention, so you should immediately place this masterpiece on your music radar. The EP is available on all streaming platforms. Don’t miss it!
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