Album Review: Anomie by Haest (by Richard Mair)

Despite its impressive place in British history, the town of Hastings in East Sussex is not one you’d typically associate with ones to watch on the UK hardcore scene. Much like the sleepy town though, doom laced hardcore crew Haest have over recent years quietly gone about their business in creating a buzz (okay sustained low end rumble) and, on the back of two EPs, have finally unleashed their debut LP – Anomie.

So, first off, merging doom with punk / hardcore is an unusual mix; sure some bands manage to incorporate influences from diverse scenes back into their sound. Take Planes Mistaken For Stars for example, who manage to meld stoner sounds into their post hardcore noise. Yet it’s clear that done well it’s a mix that works. Another such example being Sheffield’s Hidden Mothers, who have incorporated black metal influences into a post hardcore sound; consequently expanding what is usually rigid sounds into new genre defying niches is likely to be a positive trend that continues... however, I digress!

One thing Haest have in abundance is rhythm, showcased perfectly with opening track “Unstable Picnic”; the near 1-minute repetitive riff kicks the album off perfectly. Perhaps slightly slow for a hardcore bruiser of a song, it’s brilliance rests with the ongoing beat and melody; it’s stripped out all superfluous music and is in effect just one long beat down.

Second track though “I Thought I'd Walked In Shit But It Was A Child's Mitten ” is probably more symptomatic of traditional hardcore and reminds a lot of fellow CPRW faves Eat Dirt, or early metallic tinged hardcore (Snapcase being the obvious example), or even the Earth AD era Misfits. Also the closing stages of the song make an early play for beat down of the year.

Lyrically the album takes its cues from the band’s various influences; taking in social commentary – “You Can't Come In My Kayak” with its references to wastelands conjures left behind communities. Given that Hastings is a coastal town, much like my native Scarborough, coastal regeneration and declining standards in our once proud seaside resorts is something I can completely relate to!

Clocking in at 14 songs in 30 minutes, you certainly get a lot of bang for your buck. “Doom & Gloom & Dio Room” grinds through in little over a minute, and is possibly the song that will appeal to fist in the air punks more than any other with its shout out loud ending. While the slightly longer (1:30) “The Turtle Is In The Handbag” has a great nostalgic old-school punk rock meets Drug Church vibe – it’s certainly one of the album’s high points.

Showing they have a penchant for mixing things up, the quick changes in speed and beat keep things interesting throughout; “Are You Telling Me Ipswich Has No Fun Points?” goes from possibly the fastest riff on the album to possibly the slowest in the blink of an eye.

Talking of riffs, “The Only Good Wham Is A Wham Bar” is insane and, again, demonstrates how accomplished Haest are as musicians; probably sounding more early Cancer Bats (Lucifer’s Rocking Chair), it’s a great sound and absolutely worth checking out if the hardcore / doom mix sounds a little niche!

The most inventive riff on the album (and genuine ear worm) kicks off “The Sat-Nav Keeps Saying Cock Ring Road”) and its anti-corporation message is a proper singalong (and smile inducing) moment. While the following song “I Opened A Beer With A Bible” puts the drums front and centre with an introduction that really hits home and a rhythm that drives through the whole song.

The album concludes with “I Thought I'd Come Up With Something But I Think I May Have Just Written Mongaloid By Devo” which really ties the album together nicely. Again it has a ton of groove, but drives towards a more frantic ending than evidenced on the album with its cries of “we fucked it all” ringing loud.

Anomie is by no means an easy listen and that’s not a bad thing in this case. It’s certainly not accessible in the conventional sense, but really rewards frequent spins. Its novelty as such a hybrid of what are already quite niche genres is also something that needs to be recognised; as a group of musicians to pull off some of the technical elements of the album is really impressive. Punk, and in particular hardcore, is often derivative to a certain extent having to rely on specific tropes and signatures; Haest clearly don’t care for this tradition and consequently I think have kicked 2020 off with what must rank as one of the most unique and compelling releases of the year!

Stream and download Anomie here.

Like Haest on Facebook here.

This review was written by Richard Mair.