What initially began as a side project in 2017 eventually turned into the primary band for the musicians in Haest, a UK band that should be on your radar. "We released a couple of EPs independently and then hooked up with TNS Records for our debut album and have been with them ever since," vocalist Dave tells No Echo.
"A couple of years ago, our original drummer, Dan, left the band, having worked with us on 3 E's, 2 LPs, and a single. He was replaced by Rich and since this time we've recorded 2 EPs which will be coming out on a full-length LP later this month."
OK, so Haest is clearly a prolific quartet, but what do they sound like? "When we first started out, we had a very clear idea of what we were aiming at, mixing up hardcore punk with stoner/sludge and often described as a mix of Black Flag and Black Sabbath," says Dave. "On the first couple of albums, we started to experiment with some other influences including shoegaze and '90s emo but it's been since Rich joined the band that we've really started to spread our wings.
"The new record has loads going on, there's straighter hardcore punk stuff, some more melodic songs, early grunge influences, AmRep noise and loads more, it's a much more complex sound now that really doesn't fit neatly into any genre."
Whatever you want to call what Haest is doing, one thing is for sure: it's catchy. The new Haest record isn't coming out for a couple of weeks, but they've already released a couple of tracks to showcase its musical direction:
"Wildfires/Sight Unseen is a collection of two different EPs which were recorded in separate sessions during 2024 with Wayne Adams at Bear Bites Horse Studio in London. As I mentioned, we've really experimented with a lot of different sounds on this release. Our previous albums have always had a clear lyrical thread going through them and while this one is less specific, particularly as it was written during 2 different periods, I do think there is an overlap between the subject matters that are addressed in the songs.
"I've been frustrated with the lack of scope that seems to have infected the punk scene in recent years. It seems like most bands are happy to write songs about the same handful of tried and tested topics which break no new ground and are written just to get cheap pops from an audience that already safely agrees with them. I really want something deeper from this scene which seems to have merged so much with the mainstream that I can't see much difference between the two any more."
Haest are based out of Hastings, a seaside town on the south coast of England. While that sounds like a lovely place, No Echo wondered about its heavy music community. "The Hastings punk scene has been going through a quieter period in recent years with quite a few bands breaking up or going on hiatus and venues/promoters shutting down, etc.
"It's always been a great town for shows but these seem fewer and less attended at the moment. Having said that, it's a magical place and there's always new things going on here so I'm sure that will change in due course. Some of the great bands from Hastings are Comeback Clit, Butane Regulators, Rustorm, De Crane, Wytch Pyknick, and Punka."
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Wildfires/Sight Unseen will be out on February 28th via TNS (UK), No Time (US), and 5 Feet Under (EU). Hit this link to find the different pre-order sites and find all of Haest's social media pages.
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