Unsigned Sunday: The Ha’pennies – ‘Clinic’
A project led by Welsh singer-songwriter Dan Price, The Ha’pennies seamlessly blend a still and comforting brand of acoustic soul with an eerie opening riff on ‘Clinic’—the track that Far Out Magazine has chosen as this week’s Unsigned Sunday.
Throw into the mix an enthralling blues-rock twist and the lost anguish of a man who has grown apathetic about the rigours of the daily grind, and it’s a piece that intrigues from the off.
The track is highly recommended for anyone who is a fan of the stripped-back fantasies created by modern-day masters of the craft like Willy Mason and Laura Marling.
Having honed his talents in numerous locations across the UK (something which perhaps contributes to the collage-like quality of The Ha’pennies’ music), Price has now settled in London, where an initial stint of busking sessions and impromptu performances has evolved into some of the most sought-after gigs in the capital.
Probably the darkest sounding of The Ha’pennies’ output so far, it is the puzzled bemusement and chronic repression of being unsure why we do what we do every day of our lives that underpin the lyrics of the track, as opposed to any narrative deliberately depicting horror or tragedy.
This is something that is hugely refreshing among a current onslaught of ‘psych’ and noise-punk bands trying their hardest to cultivate some very obvious similes of gore.
Perfectly balancing on a tightrope of melancholy, ‘Clinic’ is the kind of song that reels you in with a hook before immersing you in something much more thought-provoking that doesn’t make itself known until at least the fifth or sixth listen.
At a time when honest pop music is incredibly hard to find amid the sanitised worlds of major labels and short-term scenesters, there is nothing more satisfying than hearing someone who does it purely for love.
Don’t simply take our word for it though, The Ha’pennies will be performing at the Old Queens Head in Islington on Wednesday April 16th.
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