Hidden Gems & Guilty Pleasures: i Häxa (UK)

i Häxa (Dark Folk / Trip Hop / Alternative Rock, UK)

Mysterious, multifaceted collective i Häxa have announced the arrival of »Part 1« with »Underworld« as a tantalising teaser for what is to come. Doubling as the electronica-soaked, alt-folk soundtrack to a mesmerising short film made in collaboration with director Daniel Broadley; »Part 1« marks the beginning of an innovative year-long, audio-visual campaign, released on February 16th, 2024 through Berlin’s Pelagic Records.

A singular vision that weaves together genre-defiant soundscapes, longform abstract film and ancient meteorological mythologies; i Häxa is a breathtaking dissection of the world as we know it, a forceful separation of the monotony of modernity from the rites and rituals that for centuries formed the foundations for who we are, how we came to be and where we claim to belong. Disjointed fragments of time collide. Two sides, one of logic and one of chaos, seeking unity and balance through an expression of freedom.

This is i Häxa.

An innovative vision that weaves together genre-defiant soundscapes, longform abstract film and ancient meteorological mythologies; i Häxa is a breathtaking dissection of the world as we know it, a forceful separation of the monotony of modernity from the rites and rituals that for centuries formed the foundations for who we are, how we came to be and where we claim to belong.

i Häxa begins with »Part 1«; a suite of four post-apocalyptic pieces steeped in alt-folk and harsh electronics brought together by a singular, 15-minute film created in collaboration with director Daniel Broadley. A nameless, wraith-like woman wakes to an ever-shifting fever dream of eerily familiar faces, nameless places and unbridled, impassioned impulse.

Tense with knife-edge string drone and hushed close harmonies, lead single and opening piece »Underworld« erupts without warning into pulsing, dubbed up electronica, pushing the project’s creative dichotomy to the fore as the film’s protagonist is accosted by a trio of masked figures who break the forest’s tranquil spell and leave our heroine forever afraid of what may lie in wait behind the treeline.

Photo by GingerDope

The bitcrushed discord leaves as abruptly as it arrived, segueing suddenly into »Part 1«’s second movement, »Inferno«; a fluttering, spoken-word piece that walks a fine line between calming and carnal. »Inferno«’s initial intimacy quickly curdles, becoming something more akin to shame and voyeurism as the distorted dirge rises again and a final, repeated phrase of ‘What am I to do?’ bores a hole in your head. This dichotic discomfort is only sharpened by movement three, »Last At The Table«. At first glance a lilting, ninety-second ditty, the accompanying film sequence depicts the protagonist watching powerlessly as her likeness slow dances with a tree spirit by the warmth and safety of the fire, turning the familial comfort of the tune into a lingering question; how much do we really know about those we love?

The project’s parallel interpretations crystalise on the shimmering, electro-pop epic »Sapling«, which sees the protagonist retrace her steps, returning to the beginning in order to be reborn, anew. Freshly adorned with verdant growth, the protagonist either succeeds the masked trio, or succumbs to them, as the lyrical refrain of “I see light, I see…” casts ripples of hope across the track. As the song fades though, euphoric, elated and spent, the film continues. The last thing we see is our protagonist, alone again and looking us directly in the eye. We are seen, we are now complicit in this story.

Whilst »Part 1« is composed of four distinct movements, pulling them apart into easily digestible singles isn’t an easy feat. In an age of fast fun and instant gratification, the ties that bind this work together are intended to transcend tracklisting. With aural, visual and lyrical themes freely intertwining, i Häxa is something to be consumed whole; just as it will, in time, consume you.

»Part 1« is but the start of a truly ambitious, year-long multifaceted project from singer-songwriter and visual artist Rebecca Need-Menear (of electronic alt-rock duo Anavae) and forward-thinking producer Peter Miles (Architects, Dodie, Fizz). Together, as i Häxa, Need-Menear and Miles will be using the seasonal solstices of 2024 as waypoints to unveil three further collections of songs and cinematics ahead of a vinyl box-set combining all four Parts and a full-length album, set for release in November. The project charts an existential journey to the very depths of what makes us human, with every impassioned pang amplified in glitched-out, technicolour glory, before ultimately pulling everything together as one awesome, unified whole.

Photo by Rebecca Need-Menear

A project years in the making that draws simultaneously from rituals for old gods and the modern day deification of data, i Häxa is both heartwarming and horrifying; i Häxa is ancient history and hyper-real; i Häxa is everybody and no one at all; i Häxa is for you and for me; i Häxa is here and it is happening now.

Stream / download / order HERE.

Courtesy of Pelagic Records

i Häxa is Rebecca Need-Menear (Anavae) & producer Peter Miles (Architects, Dodie, Fizz).

Discography:
• »Underworld« Single (Pelagic Records, 2024)
• »Part 1« EP (Pelagic Records, 2024)

Links:
Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube

For fans of Kalandra, Eivør, Tvinna, Lindy-Fay Hella, Shireen, Chelsea Wolfe

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well