Today, Ha the Unclear release their waggish official music video for their new single ‘Strangers’ on the eve of their six-date nationwide tour beginning in Auckland on Friday the 30th.
Directed by Vision Thing, the ‘Strangers’ video takes the song's elevator metaphor and finds two office workers trapped in an elevator while on
their way to one of Dave’s quarterly financial presentations held on the 14th floor. What ensues sees jaded office
employee Michael (played by Ha the Unclear’s Michael Cathro) and Janet imprinted indelibly on each other's stories in an
unsubtle fashion.
Bumped into a stranger in an elevator, we're all going up (or down) together.
After a huge 2019 in which the band signed with French label Think Zik; spent time filming and recording in Paris; and showcased at MaMa Festival, a European 2020 was scheduled for the re-release of their albums. With borders still at an impasse, they instead
burrowed into a boutique North Otago studio and vineyard, leaning hard into the jankiness to produce this new track,
invoking the mutilated spirits of ABBA, 70s era Talking Heads and quintessential 80s New Zealand yob rock.
Speaking to the inspiration for the song Cathro shares, “There's this indie film called Cube where the characters wake up in this cube complex with no idea how they got there and they have to solve problems to get
from cube to cube and escape. It slowly emerges that each character has been selected for a skill that they have and
there are massive personality clashes. I began to imagine my elevator rides as if it was going to get stuck, and if it
did how would these strangers all work together to escape? This extended to wondering about our natural proclivities for
social roles. But by the time I came to writing the song it kind of evolved to become more about the web of social
connectivity and how both the thick as well as the delicate strands tie all of our narratives together. Now pandemic
contact tracing has made visible all these (physical) interactions we have on a daily basis."
On their most comprehensive NZ tour since the release of 2018 critically acclaimed album Invisible Lines, and their first release since the Sylvia Massy produced single 'Julius Caesar', Ha the Unclear are amped to play six shows around New Zealand in October and November in celebration of new single
'Strangers'.
HA THE UNCLEAR
'STRANGERS' NZ TOUR DATES
Fri 30 October - Auckland - Whammy
Support from Lucky Boy
Sat 31 October - Mt Maunganui - Hocus Pocus Ball*
with LA Women, Joes Van, Half Moon Baby
Thu 5 November - Christchurch - Darkroom
Support from Asta Rangu
Fri 6 November - Dunedin - Dive
Support from Asta Rangu & Neive Strang
Thu 12 November - Whanganui - Porridge Watson
Support tbc
Sat 14 November - Wellington - Meow
Support from Sofia Marchay & DOONS
Tickets at - undertheradar.co.nz
*Mt Maunganui tickets available from TicketSpace
Made up of Dunedin musicians Michael Cathro (vocals/guitar), Ben Sargeant (drums), Paul Cathro (bass) and Theo Francis (guitar), Ha the Unclear have been charming the indie world with their off-kilter, guitar-driven pop songs that have
seen them tour with Courtney Barnett, support The Shins, The Dandy Warhols and Jeffrey Lewis.
Ha the Unclear online:
Watch / listen to 'Where Were You When I Was All You Needed' (Live at RNZ) here.
INVISIBLE LINES reviews: -
“The songwriting on this album is so strong and unique that many heavy topics are countered with an obscure brand of
humour. It is deep, funny, and hugely original.” – City & Sound
“(4 Stars) pop music of deep eccentricity and high ambition.” – Grant Smithies, The Sunday Star Times
"The band are unlike any band you’ve heard before. They weave hilarious tales of anxiety and frustration, give intimate
emotion to inanimate objects and raise questions about religion and morality within almost a single breath." – WhotheHell.com.au