Right, who do we blame for this overload of punk-goes-folk stuff? Is it Frank Turner? It’s probably Frank Turner. Whoever it is, Harker have followed suit with their three track EP, ‘Still Seething/Such Grace’ and, you know what? That might not be such a bad thing.
Where this sort of stuff can grow tiresome pretty quickly, especially when it’s being done in as much abundance as it is right now, Harker’s preferred method of releasing their material in a series of short EPs (this is far from the first time they’ve done it this way) does the music a huge service. Not that the material needs too many favours, though, because the tracks themselves are excellent.
Whether it’s the apologetic pointedness of ‘Still Seething’, or the reflective remorse shown on ‘Such Grace’, every lyric sung and every chord played are done so from the most genuine of hearts. Powerfully heartfelt and impressively concise, these guys have absolutely nailed this whole ‘songwriting’ thing. The only question left to answer is whether they could string the same potency out across a full length release.
The third track is a cover of Hot Water Music’s ‘Trusty Chords’ and it’s, quite frankly, excellent. Obviously it’s an already brilliant track and it’s up for debate whether or not the idea of the best track on a record being a cover is a positive thing, but as good as the two original tracks are, this really is the best performance on the EP. So screw it, Harker, you should just become a cover band (only joking, you’re pretty great as you are).
RYAN DE FREITAS