The East-End multi-hyphenate returns for the second act of his EP ‘Nostalgia Death’, now a 10-track journey through the good, the bad and the ugly, unveiling once again his sensitivity for forthright storytelling, and challenging us to confront our own memories.
Returning last week with the second half of his ‘Nostalgia Death’ EP, Hak Baker lays bare a 10 track project that will speak as much to many listener’s experiences as it does to his own. ‘Nostalgia Death’ chronicles a string of absorbing stories of 'The broken lads, the girls and the boys chasing the night, the people who feel like fire, the ones who look back, and struggle moving forward’, he tells. Earlier this year, the East London orator introduced us to Act I of ‘Nostalgia Death', a collection of five tracks rooted in pensive, introspective sentiments and with melodies that resonate in perfect sync, reacting like a magnet to metal.
‘This one sounds good, This one feels old school’, is the first line we hear Hak deliver on the project, as he opens with ‘Nameless’, and slips into his signature spoken word cadence. It’s this opening line that hits the nail on the head; encapsulating the project in more ways than one. Yes, the EP is sonically a success, but it also weaves between an air of early 00s indie, timeless streams of consciousness and misbehaving Madness-esque melodies. Throughout many moments in the project Hak takes us back in time, as he, and you, battle through identity, survival and transformation. ‘Nostalgia Death’ is a medium for unheard individuals, with Hak continuing to sharpen his modus operandi that sees him provide a platform for the communities around him.
“[It’s a] Time Machine back to the lad sitting on the stairs and waiting for his mum to come home from work. It’s the transition from being scared at those times to losing my young self to the curiosity of the forbidden unknowns” he notes on ‘Nostalgia Death’.
As we settle into the first half of the EP, Hak takes us for a walk through a series of wistful harmonies, each braided with optimism. Tracks like ‘Boys X Girls’ and ‘Everybody’s Dyin’, account stories of a careless youth, and each illuminate the truths beneath the veneer of recklessness. Approaching the halfway point is ‘LUVLY’, here Hak addresses himself with an older-brotherly wisdom. His counsel begins flowing line by line, until the track culminates into a stark realisation: “Wish I would love me, wish I had the tools to carve love for me, until then, Luvly cannot receive the love you have for me”.
‘Poems’ closes the first half on a hopeful note, handing the baton to ‘Great Day to Die’. Here it seems like we’re in for a grittier, more vibrant ‘Act II’. Despite its heavier and somber sonics, ‘Great Day to Die’ explores the optimistic ideal of living every day as though death creeps just round the corner. ‘No Control!’ follows, with its sounds of Ska and nods to acts like Madness and The Specials. Here Hak forms a resplendent tableau of East London, letting us into its formative fast-pace and its communities’ relentless pursuit to achieve.
The final three tracks of the EP feature UK rapper Joe James, Baxter Dury, and friend and musician Pete Doherty. The tempo slows, and as the project approaches its conclusion, each song winds down, allowing Hak and his collaborators to explore poignant awakenings."‘Prometheus (live)’ marks the end of ‘Nostalgia Death’ and crackles like a live wire, as Hak proclaims ‘I am the fire’.
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