Single Review: Harpans Kraft - Teflon Tez

2023. A new year full of hope, expectations, and fresh starts. Out with the old negativity and in with positive, vibrant statements of intent. My biggest hope is that you managed to avoid Jools Holland's Hootenanny - seriously you should have seen the state of it. Not even Self Esteem could save it. 

Almost doesn't seem right, just or downright true that we have got to this year; could've sworn it was 1997 the other week - I was listening to OK Computer, Urban Hymns, and Radiator and trying to pull that girl who looked a bit like Cerys Matthews at the Tiv indie night - it was the last time I paid much attention. FYI, that night was called AlternaTivoli which is a great and creative use of language. Admit it, you're jealous you didn't think of it, aren't you?

How are you holding up then? It's a tough world we live in right now. As if it being winter wasn't hard enough, the cost of staying mildly warm or switching on your  S.A.D. lamp has doubled. People in one of the richest countries in the world are now actively choosing between heating and eating and those considered 'Key Workers' during the Pandemic are now being vilified for striking to improve work conditions and pay. Of course other factors have influenced this, but there doesn't seem to be too many answers coming our way any time soon. Happy New Year. 

            📷 Cal Moores

For music - as well as most art forms - dark times can often be quite fertile ground. Manchester's Harpans Kraft are no strangers to such territory. Following the release of their debut ''Canal Side Running'  last year, the band has been busy concentrating on their live show and making gains in the Manchester music scene. After supporting NNWNF favourites such as Hotel Lux, Mush and Personal Trainer, they looked to follow the well-received single going into the New Year with their current effort 'Teflon Tez'. They tell dark fables of modern life that often verge on the brink of Kitchen Sink horror.  Does art imitate life or does life imitate art? The band told us more about how the song materialised:

“We wanted to create a song that sounded futuristic. We had been experimenting with different synth textures and recording effects, which led us to create an atmospheric instrumental that owed well to the tone of the lyrics. During the writing process we were listening to a lot of Krautrock groups like CAN and NEU!, this helped inspire the rhythm and overall sound of Teflon Tez! The lyrics' storytelling format is inspired by the likes of the Specials, Fontaines DC and Yard Act.

 The song's protagonist is a family man who sees himself as the provider, the man of the house and the centre of his own universe. He never allows himself to open up and his demeanor and influence are informed by a history of toxic masculinity. When it appears he has died, his family is secretly relieved and revels in their newfound freedom. However, when it becomes apparent he has faked his own death under the guise of a joke, the family looks to gain revenge. As well as the artists mentioned by the band, the tone of the lyrics often goes into similar territory to Modern Life is Rubbish era Blur. 

Oh no, the family knows/Teflon Terry’s a bag of bones/But they rejoice in the street./And then the family glowed, as Teflon Terry’s heart explodes.

'Teflon Tez' is a sinister, yet engaging listen and shows a band that is full of imagination. The driving motorik rhythms of Krautrock underpin angular Post Punk guitars and an experimental synth sound that is sure to chill you to the bone. Generally speaking, Polytetrafluoroethylene - or Teflon as it has been branded - ensures that nothing sticks and is not toxic. However in extreme temperatures it can be and as the dystopian Post-Capitalist world we are increasingly learning to navigate unfolds, bands like Harpans Kraft will begin to stick that much more.

If you're in Manchester, You can catch Harpans Kraft on January 20th at Yes Basement supporting Yasmin Coe, Pyncher and Oliver Marson.

 

You can find out more about Harbans Kraft by following them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram