Hans Hansome is the moniker of Bordeaux-based, Australian artist, Mark Gage. No newcomer to the scene, his now defunct band, Foreign/National, saw widespread acclaim, amassing millions of streams and sporting international touring dates alongside King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard. Now he places his new project, Hans Handsome, front and centre with the new single “Handcuffed”, taken from an upcoming EP.
“Handcuffed” begins with a blend of programmed, industrial percussion and organic drums. A saturated Moog synth holds down a metronomic, krautrock-esque bass groove, alongside the scratchy tone of a broken Telecaster. The drums open up momentarily before baritone vocals enter, driving the song into new territory.
Sonically, the song moves between post-punk, darkwave and krautrock, drawing inspiration from artists such as Kedr Livanskiy, Mount Kimbie, Neu and New Order. Lyrically, the track explores the 2015 European Migrant Crisis, and speaks of Gage’s frustration regarding the indifference and apathy with which western governments responded.
“Handcuffed” is the first single on Peak Life Records and is taken from the upcoming EP, “Feeding From The Trough”. The release date for the full EP is yet to be announced.
In support of the release, Hans Hansome has shared an exclusive playlist for HITCHER, highlighting the biggest songwriting influences for his latest release.
Dean Blunt – VIGIL: “I was introduced to Dean Blunt by a friend about a year ago and I got into it immediately. It was so up my alley that I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of him before. This is the opening track on his most recent album, Black Metal 2. I’m always a sucker for a great opener and the staccato string jabs with the baritone vocals got me straight away.”
Andy Stott – New Romantic: “I can’t confess to being a die-hard techno fan and certainly not a connoisseur, but I love Andy Stott. New Romantic is what I love most about Stott, the super saturated, super programmed drums contrasted with an overdriven bass guitar, where any other producer might have opted for a more predictable synth bass.”
Black Country, New Road – Track X: “It’s not a big secret that there are less new ‘bands’ breaking through than there used to be. The other eight contemporary artists on this list are all solo acts. However, BCNR shows the power and enduring relevance of the band structure. Track X is a bit post-punk, a bit murder ballad but what stands out most is that you can hear all 7 members contributing their own artistic sensibilities. Making it a track that feels like the result of a natural process and very human.”
Helena Deland – Truth Nugget: “Completely obsessed with this track and the one on this playlist that I can listen to over and over. Like a lot of tracks on this playlist, the bass guitar is the crucial element driving the song forward. The fact that everything drops out in the first chorus to just the vocals and a very subtle harmony hits me up every time. The vocal delivery is forlorn, but self-assured. The best kind of vocal delivery.”
Pierre Rousseau – Terra: “I’m not normally a huge fan of overly technical and complex music as I find what it has in detail and intricacy it loses in heart and soul. However, the French sound designer/composer creates a sublime balance of detail, complexity and emotion on Terra. Also the production is the audio equivalent of a Rolls Royce.“
Kedr Livanskiy – Мне можно: “Being married to a Russian and through my work as a teacher I have been lucky enough to be exposed to a lot of great contemporary Russian music. At the moment there are a lot of great female electronic artists coming out of the country. Most people would already know Nina Kravitz, but you can also add Kate NV and Mirele to the list. Kedr Livanskiy is my favourite though, mixing d&b, techno and a little bit of industrial with tragic, longing vocal melodies.
Can – Mother Sky: “This is a very contemporary list, but I had to include a classic. Mother Sky is probably what some may consider the archetype of ‘Krautrock’: motorik drums and bass driving the song as other more melodic elements interchange with one another, dropping in and out. While others may consider this a pretty narrow definition of the Kraut genre, it’s certainly a framework I’ve leaned on quite a bit in the upcoming HH EP.”
Stormzy – Wiley Flow: “I kind of came across this track by accident and it really got me into this main loop in this track was the first thing that pulled me in. It creates this really oppressive tension in the track which is then released by the urgency of Stormzy’s delivery. This same sense of sizzling tension and release is something that really informed the new HH stuff.”
Flavien Berger – La Fête Noir: “The French producer mixes soft electronic elements with krautrock fundamentals and delivers it with a rich baritone. At the same time the song carries across a lightness and playfulness that is often missing from a lot of the music I listen to. Also more artists should sing in languages other than in English, it adds an extra layer of character.”
Josin – In the Blank Space: “I was listening to a lot of orchestral electronic music when I was working on the EP. I guess this song captures the tone I wanted when it comes to the ‘dramatic’ in a song. It swells with a certain drama which is accentuated by the perfectly weighted vocal line, but never gets too far out of control, nor ventures into the melodramatic. A peaceful chaos”
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