The Hara: Unfiltered, Unchained, and Unapologetically Themselves.
- Jan 16
- 4 min read
Living the Fallout
After years of relentless touring, creative evolution, and personal trials, The Hara stand on the brink of a new chapter. With their latest album, “The Fallout,” about to drop, the band sat down for a candid conversation, reflecting on their journey, the rawness of their new work, and the lessons learned from a life lived on the edge of the UK’s alternative rock scene.
The making of “The Fallout” was not a fleeting process. As Josh Taylor revealed, the album was completed nearly two years before its release, a testament to the patience and endurance required in today’s music industry. “We’ve been living in it a long time, but I’m ready for it,” he shared, highlighting the tension between artistic excitement and the realities of release schedules. The band’s extensive touring across the UK and Europe meant they had to hold back new material, resisting the urge to share songs that had already become part of their world.
Stripping Away the Noise: The Pursuit of Authenticity
At the heart of “The Fallout” lies a conscious decision to strip away external expectations. “The biggest thing we stripped away was outside interpretation, outside noise,” said Josh Taylor. The band found themselves in a rare position: able to create without the pressure to fit a genre or chase radio hits. This freedom allowed them to push their sound further, embracing heavier riffs and more intense vocals, a natural progression that mirrored their personal and collective growth.
The process was not without its challenges. The band spoke openly about the difficulty of shutting out industry voices and trusting their instincts. “You hear constantly… this is what the perfect song is, this is how you go viral. But I think it was so important for us not to do that and just trust our own voice,” Zack Breen reflected. This commitment to integrity, even in the face of self-doubt, has become a defining feature of The Hara’s identity.
Vulnerability as Strength: Writing from the Heart
Much of the album’s rawness comes from personal upheaval. “A lot of stuff was going on personally and with the band, and there was a lot of uncertainty, and I think that really fuelled the vulnerability and the rawness of the lyrics,” Josh Taylor explained. For the band, songwriting became a form of therapy, a way to process and make sense of difficult times. “It is like journaling or therapy in a way, it’s out there… usually it makes more sense to me for what was going on at the time,” he added.
Importantly, The Hara leave their lyrics open to interpretation, inviting listeners to find their own meaning in the music. “We always try and write in a way where it can still be interpreted however they personally feel towards the song. Like we’d never tell someone, this is the song, this is what it means and you must, that is how you should see it,” said Josh Taylor.
Surviving the Industry: Trust, Banter, and Brotherhood
The conversation turned to the realities of the music business—a world of dreams sold and lost. The band’s hard-won wisdom was clear: “We’ve been sold a dream and we’ve lost a dream. And it’s happened so many times now… but we kind of just don’t let it get in our head too much,” Josh Taylor admitted. Their advice to newcomers? Judge people by their energy and authenticity, not just promises. “If they’ve got a bit of banter and they can have a laugh… that’s a sign of a genuine person,” he said.
Amidst the ups and downs, the band’s camaraderie has been a source of strength. “Just being mates and trusting each other and keeping the vision,” Jack Kennedy emphasised. The band likened their journey to playing the lottery every day—never knowing when a breakthrough might come, but always showing up, together.
The Live Experience: Old Favourites and New Anthems
With album launch shows in Manchester and London, and a tour stretching through February and March, The Hara are eager to bring “The Fallout” to life on stage. Fans can expect a mix of the new album in its entirety and classic crowd-pleasers. “Everything you just said in one, full album plus a load more songs,” promised Josh Taylor. The band’s commitment to delivering an unforgettable live experience remains undimmed, even as they continue to refine their setlist right up to the last minute.
Collaboration and Connection
One of the album’s standout moments is the collaboration with Beth from As December Falls on the track “Violence.” The idea was born from a desire to capture both sides of a toxic relationship, and the resulting duet has become one of the album’s most successful singles. “Her vocal with my vocal I think worked really well and to do it live in Manchester with Beth on the tour as well was such a… yeah, man, it worked out really well,” with a smile said Josh Taylor
The Fallout and Beyond
As The Hara prepare to unleash “The Fallout” on the world, they do so with a sense of hard-earned confidence and authenticity. Their journey has been marked by resilience, self-discovery, and an unwavering commitment to their craft. For The Hara, 'The Fallout is not an ending, but a new beginning, forged in honesty, friendship, and the unbreakable power of music
'The Fallout' is released on 23rd January via Mascot Records. For more details on The Hara and their upcoming tour, click the links below and stay connected!
Article by Steve Harrison
That bit about resisting the urge to play the new songs live because you’ve toured them in your own head already… I felt that. Also respect to them for admitting how much “outside noise” can warp the writing process — sometimes the bravest move is just making the thing you’d listen to yourself. Slightly unrelated, but the whole “unfiltered” theme weirdly parallels how people experiment with looks/identity online too (saw it discussed on this site once).
Finishing a record and then having to just… sit on it for that long would drive me insane. It’s kind of like you’ve already processed the emotions in the songs, and then you have to re-open the folder later and act like it’s “new” again for the rollout. On a lighter tangent, the “cosmic” vibe in the header photo instantly made me think of those dreamy stylized edits people do (I’ve seen a bunch via https://imgg.ai/styles/ghibli), which is funny because The Hara sound like they’re going for the opposite of dreamy on this one.
The line about being in a rare position to create without chasing radio hits is so real — you can hear when a band stops trying to “belong” and starts trying to say something. I’m also into the idea that the heaviness is just a natural progression from all the mileage and personal stuff, not a forced “we’re heavier now” rebrand. Side note, the whole “noise vs signal” theme pops up everywhere lately (even in AI directories like https://hrefgo.com), but it’s cooler when it comes from actual lived experience instead of marketing.
I’m curious how they keep the “authentic” edge once promo mode kicks in — because the industry side always tries to turn vulnerability into a neat little narrative. The heavier riffs/vox direction sounds like the band finally matching what touring does to you (it toughens the sound, even if you don’t plan it). Random aside: “outside interpretation” made me think of how meanings shift when you rotate a message, like CaesarCipher — same letters, different read depending on the lens.
The “stripping away the noise” bit hit for me — bands always get told to chase whatever lane is currently getting playlisted, and it’s usually obvious when they’re writing with someone peering over their shoulder. Also, sitting on songs for ages while touring them in your head must be torture; no wonder the eventual release feels like exhaling. Total tangent, but that patience/removal-of-distractions vibe is basically how I treat little brain-reset things like https://blockblast.co when I’m spiraling over a deadline.