HAAL

Borderless 4-piece HAAL return with “Plate 43 (…Or Standing on the Toes of Giants)”. The single comes on the heels of an incendiary year for the band which saw them release their Thurston Moore-approved EP “Back to Shilmarine” to widespread plaudits, leading to remixes by JUICE (Ollie Judge of Squid) & Water From Your Eyes, as well as UK tour dates and festival appearances such as ArcTanGent, Outertown, Wanderlust & more. This latest offering takes the Bristolian experimental outfit’s signature psychotropic blend of samples, DIY pedals & monolithic instrumentation, and opens it up into a widescreen 7 minute genre-hopping opus. It also sees them bring new instrumentation into the fold, featuring a host of estimable guests, including Tom Connolly (Quade) on violin, as well as Evo Ethel & Archie Ttwheam on saxophone – both of which are members in the no-wave ensemble Ex Agent, alongside HAAL’s Alfie Hay. Taking inspiration from a piece of art by Francisco Goya from which the track takes part of its title (Plate 43) & ruminations on existentialism, the track sees HAAL expand their dynamic interplay, marrying complex new sounds with their underlying 90s influences & the sound of Bristol’s burgeoning avant-garde scene. From dark labyrinthine guitar lines to uncanny sampling, the track winds and builds into an epiphanic climax of crushing, yet uplifting post rock infused riffing, finally giving way to a playful disco beat, with a liminal sax line leading us into the fray.