from their press…
HAWK return with their fantastic new release Once Told due for release on Febuary 19th 2016 via Veta Records.
Like their previous release Glass, which focused on the recent Marriage Equality Referendum that took place in Ireland, Once Told is a track that has activism at its heart. Focusing on Ireland’s abortion laws and wider issues around pregnancy, sexuality and contraception the band are trying to help expose the country’s “archaic mindsets and processes which systemically lets down women, especially those in more vulnerable circumstances”.
Showcasing a darker, grungier and ultimately bigger sound Once Told is the first track to be taken from the band’s upcoming self-titled EP which will be released in April 2016. Having taken a diverse approach to songwriting and developing their sound, the band note, “we’ve hit a point that we really feel like we’ve found our identity and these tracks represent HAWK”. The band collaborated with producer Dimitri Tikovoi (Horrors, Placebo, Marianne Faithful) on Once Told with the track mixed by Catherine Marks best known for her previous work with Wolf Alice and Howling Bells.
Hawk is a group that doesn’t follow the crowd, they write and sing with passion, as artist who want to make us aware of what’s going on. This is what Julie the lead singer had to say to Noisey about “Once Told”
“Once Told” was written in protest against the current Irish laws on abortion, where it’s illegal except in very rare circumstances. Ireland has some of the most restrictive abortion regulations in Europe. It jeopardises the lives of thousands of women every year, leaving them without the support they need. There are so many layers to this situation that make it incredibly unhealthy for women in Ireland. In the video we tried to express a sense of claustrophobia and frustration of trying to get your voice heard when there is no real desire from much of society to acknowledge a problem in the first place.
Up until pretty recently, Ireland’s situation has been kept relatively silent, both on a local and global scale. In my memory, at least at school, there’s always been an air of secrecy and shame surrounding the topic. It was always discussed with an atmosphere of ‘otherness’ – something that could never happen to you. It’s incredibly alienating; the idea that you might have a support network or even an open discussion was totally distant.
Literally thousands of women have to operate in secret every year, travelling abroad for medical care. But the way it’s taught gives the next generation of young Irish people the idea that ‘this kind of thing’ never happens. There’s a horrible dichotomy of trying to do what’s best for you alongside the expectation to carry on with life as if nothing’s happened. In the video we tried to capture this false sense of reality with the flashes of light and dark scenes, as if there’s a constant struggle between the two. James was amazing to work with – we shot the dark scenes later in the day, and I think by that stage we were feeling genuinely exhausted and like the walls were caving in around us.
The system is hugely damaging to female identity, and even more-so to women in more vulnerable circumstances. The very people who would need support the most are left by the wayside, unable to cope financially, and potentially putting their lives at risk. I could go on and on about how unfair the situation is, but luckily there are more and more people going public and fighting back, hoping for constitutional change. Hopefully it will change soon. This song is just a tiny fraction of the frustration that’s being felt every day – Julie Hawk
