With the pandemic still raging, the world could use a little more humor and fun. Drumroll please: Here come Hakan to the rescue!
Formed In 2014 in the northern Italian town of Bergamo, the joyfully infectious group blends melodic punk, power pop, garage, and brilliantly stupid lyrics that inspire even the grumpiest among us to tap a toe. Note: All the guys can take credit for that fabulous “stupidity,” as guitarist Andrea Carminati, bass player Andrea Facheris and drummer Marco Facheris all share songwriting duties.
Today, New Noise are stoked to premiere the band’s new video, “Just One Kiss,” off their fourth full-length album Hakan Manifesto, out January 27 on STRIPED Records (distributing worldwide) in partnership with One Chord Wonder. I had the chance to pepper the band with a few questions of my own (if you’ve ever pondered their favorite pizza topping, read on).
Luckily for us, the Hakan boys were able to take time out of their rigorous bike-riding schedule to talk influences, inside jokes, and fine wine.
Congrats on your new record, Hakan Manifesto! What are some of the lyrical themes on this album?
Thank you! Our lyrics are about a lot of different stuff; mainly it’s our regular, day-by-day life with a little nonsense twist like in previous records. On Hakan Manifesto, we talk about bees, riding bikes, smashing things, and a girl who can turn her head 360 degrees.
How did the songs come together as a band? Any struggles or fun stories to share?
Each of us writes his own songs, music, and lyrics, alone in his bedroom, waiting for inspiration to come. Then he brings the songs to the practice room, and the other two members try hard to ruin everything. Like I said, some songs are based on fun stories or real facts: “Turkish Delight Boy” is about our journey to Istanbul; “Just One Kiss” is about my reptilian girlfriend; “Jas Is Moving to Town” is about, you know, Jas moving to town. Some others are just our sick imagination.
Twenty-twenty-two is a weird time to put out music. Everyone has been through hell. Do you think the current circumstances with COVID-19 affected the tone of this particular record?
Not really;some of the songs were written before the pandemic and we tried to leave these shitty times out of the record; we’ll see if we can do the same with the next.
What was the making of the album like? Anything interesting or surprising we should know? Vintage gear and good food, right? Does that mean pizza, or something more exotic?
We recorded at Outside Inside studio near Treviso, in Veneto, which means grappa, good wine, good food, and tiramisù. They invented it. And vintage gear too, sure. A lot of expensive stuff in that studio: the place is amazing.
Favorite pizza toppings? : ) Ha.
Like my grandma taught me, to really taste how good a pizza is, you don’t have to put anything on it, so Margherita is the way. But if we really need to talk about pizzas, we need a dedicated interview for that.
Tell us about working with your mentor, Matt Bordin. What have you learned working with him? What about STRIPED Records?
Matt has a great taste in music; he is a great producer and audio engineer. We love his work with the Mojomatics. We tried to sneak some subtle references to his songs, like some riffs or melodies into ours, and he didn’t seem to notice, or care. Joining Striped is like being a pro-cyclist and signing a contract with Ineos Grenadiers coming from Vini Zabu.
Who would you say your biggest influences were when you started in 2014? Have some of those influences changed or evolved or are you on the same track?
Hakan: We love so many different kinds of music, we are omnivores! But the main influences concerning Hakan are Ramones (of course) and ’70s punk bands, Dirtnap Records, Lookout! Records and ’60s pop music. Our influences are still the same, even though our music has changed a bit, I think.
What bands inspire you today, both Italian and around the world?
We always pleasantly share the stage with some good Italian bands which are also our friends, like Mega and Deaf Lingo: you can find them on the OCW catalog. The best thing is to really enjoy the music made by people you personally know and you are friends with. Our drummer, Marco, recently got into bossa nova, and he’s on the verge of joining a João Gilberto cover band, or maybe he will start his own project.
What is your biggest accomplishment to date?
Our biggest accomplishment is being on the 30sec OCW compilation. Jokes aside, we played all over Europe, Canada, USA, and Turkey, and this is our fourth album, not bad for three humble peasants.
Tell me about the making of the “Just One Kiss” video. Any advice for bands trying to put out a DIY video?
To be honest, this is our very first video, I don’t think we’re in the position to give advice, but based on our very tiny experience, you need two things: a good idea and friends who can act and shoot a video.
What has your life musically been like since 2020, and how have you continued to follow your musical dreams?
We had very few chances to play live in the last two years. We miss it so much, and we can’t wait to be back on stage on a more regular basis. In the meanwhile, we never stopped making songs in our own bedrooms like it always used to be, getting ready to be back to normal. We’ve been lucky enough to keep on practicing and recording Hakan Manifesto.
I have to ask. What IS your band manifesto?!
Our band manifesto is exactly what I sing in that song: “We are true, we don’t care about you, we only drink Von Wu (Bergamo Premium Beer) and we are fans of Roby Pooh (Bergamo Premium Artist).”
Anything else you want to share? I AM ALL EARS.
A video of a guitarist slapped for his poor playing, to say stop violence to your bandmates!
