The Hunna - Dare

The Hunna - Dare 

Hertfordshire four-piece The Hunna have returned with their newest endeavour Dare, an album that screams “all filler no killer.” Most bands struggle with their second release and The Hunna are no exception. Just as Arctic Monkeys were the first ‘youtube’ band to make it big, The Hunna shunned the circuit for Facebook presence, which worked very well for them as regards to their fanbase. Unfortunately for the rest of us, this did not translate into good music. While I appreciate there are very few Alex Turner/Paul Weller types in the world, Dare is sonically and nigh unforgivably boring even in this era of repetition and dishonesty. There is a formulaic, synthetic feel to the album that sounds not only tiresome but outright disingenuous. Music is amazing because it's organic and primal, it comes from a place of sweat that travels ‘from heart to limb, to pen’ (Bryan Fallon, Handwritten, 2013). This is where the magic comes from, but Dare sounds more akin to an assembly line product that a work of human effort. I wouldn't be surprised if each song came with an environmental health rating and a “Made in China” stamp.

It would be disingenuous of me to suggest that the album is not without its catchy choruses and wavy rhythms, but this album seems more akin to a catalogue of ringtones than the statement second album that would solidify them as an up and coming face in British music. Cheesy, repetitive and dull, the songwriting seems altogether too detached for me to enjoy, never mind recommend. Bland and uniformity take the place of what should be originality and bounce. One of the few saving graces (VERY few) is that they play loud and fast, so there's a possibility that their live performances can garner something positive from Dare.

There are two impressive songs on Dare: Flickin’ Your Hair and titular track Dare. Flickin’ Your Hair starts of with an uninspiring riff gives way to a surprisingly buoyant song. Airy licks give a certain bounce to the song which is a bright spot on the album. The uninspired lyrics still bothered me, as there were stuck in the all too common trope of “oh my god (insert girl of dreams) I can’t believe how you do (insert mundane/completely ordinary task) its so (insert hyperbole).” Still, its fast enough to incite some well-meaning head bobs so it gets props for that. The lead single, Dare, at least provides some variety instrumentally. Enticing kick drum beats give an element of crescendo while distorted guitar licks add levels and depth previously unheard in the album. The lyrics are, in essence, completely non-relatable, but you are washed away in the exhilaration of the score (also at this point if the album you are sort of done expecting anything in that department). The saving grace, if there is to be one, is that they at least sound like they’re having fun.

All in all, their success can be used to deny any criticism levelled against them. They have a fiercely loyal fanbase on the only platform that really matters anymore (online), they have managed to sell out stadiums all over the country, and the music they've released probably appeals to their fan base. However, their brand of bland rock and repetitive cheesiness can only go so far.

It was The Hunnas turn to spin the bottle, but I can’t help but wonder how much better this album would have been if they had gone for Truth instead of Dare.