The Hunna have made no secret of the fact they’ve had their issues both in and with the music industry throughout their years as a band, but no album encapsulates that quite as well, and as directly as this self-titled release.
Taking us on a journey through some of the most personal moments of their careers and personal lives, ‘The Hunna’ have managed to successfully bounce between tongue in cheek masterpieces such as the album’s first single, ‘Trash’, and ultra personal moments as depicted in the likes of ‘Untouched Hearts’.
At times, this abrupt change in tone from one track to the next makes the record feels incohesive, but when listened to in its entirety there is a strong and well-narrated story being told here – the story of The Hunna.
The slow instrumental opener ‘The Storm’ sets the scene, building up gradually before reaching its climax with huge electric drum beats and piercing guitar – a perfect set opener and almost certainly written with this in mind.
The whole album feels made for the stage, which makes sense given The Hunna are never better than when in front of a crowd – commanding festival main stages just as well as their own headline club shows. It’s hard to pinpoint which tracks on this record will translate best to the live show given the plethora of huge choruses that sit within it, however ‘Take a Ride’ lends itself to a clap-along with a strong and steady bass drum towards the end, following a heavy start and endlessly catchy pre-chorus. The huge second chorus in ‘Circles’ is also a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
As well as these bigger, more animated moments, The Hunna tackle ballads just as well, and the likes of ‘Find a Way Out (Back to You)’, ‘Untouched Hearts’ and – to an extent – ‘Apologies’ hit just as hard, albeit in a different way. The former feels like a warm hug and an encouragement to pursue a fulfilling and authentic life, whereas the atmospheric ‘Untouched Hearts’ connect you with the band (and frontman Ryan Potter in particular) in a way that few others do. It’s the latter, however, that tells the strongest story, being based on a true-life event wherein a fan claimed to have slept with Potter to make her boyfriend jealous. The song places little blame, instead pushing the message that she’s already enough without telling such tales, and you’re left feeling sad for all parties involved.
There are plenty of striking moments on this record, but arguably none more so than the Charlie Simpson collaboration, ‘Sick’. Potentially one of The Hunna’s heaviest ever tracks, there are layers to be found here from Simpson’s screaming to the orchestral driving force of the track. It’s slow and ethereal and see this band at their very best.
Upon first listen you’d be forgiven for thinking that The Hunna released the best two songs from this record first – ‘Trash’ and ‘Fugazi’ – however the more you delve in, the more there is to unpack and the more there is to love. You start to really understand that this is the members of this band being unapologetically themselves – calling out bullshit as they see it, twisting it into classic British humour and sarcasm, laughing at themselves, and in the very next moment recalling some dark and painful moments and slapping you back to reality.
With ‘90s and ‘00s rock influences aplenty, this album will easily achieve the band’s goal of “standing the test of time” and the lyrical content awards them the power they’ve been searching for since Covid took it away – as it did for so many. There’s no doubt that this record is The Hunna through and through, an authentic rock band ready to continue to take the world by storm.
YASMIN BROWN