Harker – Axiom

‘Harker are set to return to the fray next week with their sophomore full length Axiom that is being released via an international coalition of labels. The album is an attack on the laissez-faire attitude that has become a hallmark of lockdown, however, Harker aren’t just calling out the apathy, this is also a call to arms and a much needed wake up call that address issues such as isolation, social class and environmental change. Axiom also sees the band shift away from the sound of their 2018 debut album, No Discordance, to something darker that embraces a wider sonic palette than their previous outings.

But fear not, whilst Axiom shows a different side to Harker, the pop fuzz and 90s alt influences are still present, they have just been melded with a more experimental mind set, and this is never is bad thing as few bands can stand still without becoming repetitious. The opening track The Beast Must Die is the perfect statement to underscore the shift in style, this is intense, claustrophobic and strident, but importantly this retains the core elements that brought band to your attention in the first place. If you thought the opener was a one off then the brooding Sigh Of Crows underlines exactly where Harker are right now.

Harker haven’t sacrificed their lively indie punk roots, tracks like Hellion and Moriah show that they can still deliver the energy. But largely this is a more reflective and dare I say a more mature album from a band who haven’t let anything, not even a national lockdown, stop their prolific output. The recent anthemic single Adulthood is of course present and correct, as is a new version of Flex Yr Head, which originally appeared on the Dead Ends EP. Axiom closes with the epic Antenna, a mix of intense hardcore tinged punk that descends into cacophony before gently emerging into the light and building back up into a intense finalè.

Axiom sees Harker leave the indie pop punk bubble, whilst raising a defiant middle finger in true punk style, and embrace the melodic side of My Chemical Romance and Smashing Pumpkins which is matched with the intensity of Holy Bible era Manic Street Preachers. It is said that out of every bad situation something good always emerges, and Harker have proved this with their finest release to date, one that shows just how far they’ve come since they first made their mark on the punk scene. Axiom is an album that takes Harker down a very different path, this is a much darker collection that reflects an unlucky thirteen months that hasn’t gone according to plan for anyone.

Axiom is due out out on April 23rd and can now be pre-ordered via Bandcamp, Wiretap Records, Disconnect Disconnect Records, Shield Recordings and Fixing A Whole Records.