Haunter
I'm so happy to feature Haunter once again. I love how empowering and cinematic their songs are.
Their new single "Paralyze" is out now and it is another banger. The rock/pop record explores the subject of sex and desire from the perspective of a powerful character. Lucy’s vocals never disappoint and their ability to create big hooks is undeniable. Haunter makes great music, and I can’t wait to hear more this year. Congrats guys on this new single !!
Go stream “Paralyze” now !
Photo credit: Heather Ann
Hi guys, how are you? What have you been up to since our first interview?
It’s been a while Virginie. It’s nice to reconnect. We’ve been really busy working on new music, shooting a music video and honestly figuring life out. COVID made the world, wilder and weirder so there were somethings we didn’t expect or foresee so it took some time to work things out. We’re really excited about the year we’re going to have and to work in partnership with Kontrolla Music Group on this single.
"Paralyze" is your new single - what's the story/inspiration behind this song?
We wrote this one sort as a bit of hyperbole. It’s based off some experiences that I’ve personally had when it comes to dating and ethical non-monogamy. It’s also from the point of view of Lucy that’s a work of fiction. She’s writing from the perspective of a character that is a strong, dominant force in their relationship. The character is the object of desire, regardless of the cost in attaining them. We sort of brought the two main inspiration points and made it a blended story. It’s really about power dynamics and the intensity behind desire. Like, how powerful the allure of a new partner can be and how you can be swept up in all of it.
When did you start working on "Paralyze"? Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this single?
Believe it or not, Paralyze was actually one of the first songs we’ve ever written as a band. I think that’s why it has the sound that it does. When HAUNTER first formed, we didn’t really have a template or a signature sound beyond Lucy’s powerful vocals. I was still fresh from having left a band that was playing Rock music so I think we wore those influences on our sleeves. We worked with our friend and producer Tyler Smyth on this one. Seeing as this was the first song and we hadn’t worked with someone at that level before we were a little intimidated. Lucky for us, Tyler is not only a professional through and through, he’s one of the best people on the planet. He definitely helped us get really comfortable and taught us not to self edit and to do things to serve the song. A lot of times back then we would force ideas or try to make things complicated for the sake of it. Tyler really broke us of that habit. Sonically we want to make something where the verses had this dark sexy sort of vibe only to come back hard and heavy during the choruses. I think the production matches the lyrics to help create the vision we have now.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
The artwork was done by our friend Cameron Burns. He has done the cover of every song we have. Absolutely love his ability to translate what I am seeing into the works of art that they are. He’s an insanely talented person. Since the song is about sex and power dynamics, I had this idea of sort of playing on the “dom/sub” kink subculture. Where our sub here is visibly in a situation where their dom is in full control. We also really love the line, “There’s a lot of sinning left to do.” so we had the sub have the word “SINNER” on their body. The artwork hints at the dynamic between accepting yourself sexually and the “religious” connotation to sex being sinful. In this character’s case they’ve formed some attachment to seeking carnal pleasures and being labeled a “sinner”. We think it sort of set the tone for the whole experience of the song.
What made you want to release "Paralyze" as a single?
We thought it was time to try something different with our band. We’ve put out a lot of pop songs and remixes which we are madly in love with but we figured this would be a real strong start to our year. Rock Music is literally in our DNA, each member of the band loves it and we all come from scenes that celebrate it. Felt right to bring it back and see if we can’t challenge our fans a bit on this one. I’m super excited.
What message do you want to deliver through this song?
I don’t know if there really is a message. That feels like we’re telling people what to do or what to believe. That’s definitely not the case. However, I will say the song definitely touches on a few adult themes and I suppose we just want to let people know it’s ok to explore these things with consensual partners. Have fun, be safe, and get as weird as you want.
What are your goals for 2022?
We just want to continue to grow our fanbase and hope to really deepen the connection we have with everyone that rocks with us. I saw a video from Russ, a famously independent hip-hop artist. He was speaking a lot about finding your niche. Your music doesn’t have to be for everyone. You’ll never please everyone, but you can certainly serve your niche. So my hope is that HAUNTER works to find our true niche and really serve them. We want to build a community where our fans become friends. That to me is way cooler than anything. 2022 is the year we’re gonna make it happen!
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