Review: Huracan – We Are Very Happy

Style: Sludge Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Raging Speedhorn, Mastodon, The Ocean, Pallbearer,
Review by: Will
Country: Belgium
Release date: 30 September 2022

We’re in the middle of a mental health crisis. At least, that’s what my therapist tells me. 

It’s not surprising, really, is it? A toxic blend of lockdowns, social media, doomscrolling, and uncertainty in everything from the economy to climate has quite rightly taken its toll on our minds. Luckily, Huracan have burst onto the soundwaves with the antidote to heal our collective psyches with their new album, We Are Very Happy. An obviously happy album for happy people in which the Belgian sludge rockers manage to bottle the sound of releasing years of repressed emotion into just over 45 minutes of cathartic runtime. 

Opening from a frenetic drumbeat on the opening track, Huracan serves us a driving and incredibly groove-laden album from start to finish with a few pleasant surprises on the way. “We are Very Happy” successfully uses phrygian dominant scales in the vocals which gives the track an interesting Middle-Easter flavour. That very same track also features some interesting breakdowns and objectively the best recording of the word ‘rainbow’ ever committed to an album (thanks in large part to guest vocalist Nele De Gussem). Moments of hefty industrial influence on “Doberman Multiverse” as well as some musical hooks reminiscent of Mastodon’s tour de force Remission. “Before I was Born” utilises spoken word voiceover work to explore dreams and nightmares in a way that feels very Hands of Despair. And the intro to “Sky Burial” slows things down to the languid doom-laden heaviness that one would expect from bands like Earth.

Indeed, We Are Very Happy is a masterclass in pace control. I’ve been critical of bands in the past for pursuing musical technical brilliance at the expense of communicating emotion. Huracan are a welcome relief from this; though clearly musically proficient, Huracan aren’t interested in showing off how well they can handle their instruments, nor do they get carried away with their own heaviness and drive to play faster and faster: They are controlled and measured, giving room to the vocals when needed, pulling their foot off the gas to highlight different aspect of their playing. The effect is that of a very tight feeling album where all the elements get a chance to shine. Beyond that, the measured pacing with such a heavy sound puts the listener in mind of a whole mix of repressed emotions lying just beneath the surface, yearning to be released and yet unsure of exactly how. This is beautifully illustrated in the band’s music video for “Bruises” which features interpretive dance set to the band’s music, exhibiting the vibrant energy that the band carry into their music. We are Very Happy gives listeners an opportunity for catharsis. To scream in rage with the pounding, driving riffs, to move their bodies to the beat of their emotion and to relish the subsequent endorphin rush of release with the more optimistic, lighter portions of the album.

In We Are Very Happy, Huracan have created an interesting work of art capturing an outburst of mixed and raw emotion. While many songs off this album will make their way onto gym playlists around the world by virtue of their pure energy, others seem to fade into the background and, frankly, are difficult to recall after the album ends. Some songs feel like they add precious little to the album as a whole and the dead weight detracts from the punchy, impactful feel of the rest of the album.

Nit-picky critiques aside, Huracan have really made something interesting and worth examining. A timely album addressing the manifold frustrations, angers and emotions that so many of us hide under a fragile surface. 

Recommended tracks: Bruises, We are Very Happy, Dobermann Multiverse
You may also like: Moozoonshi, Vokonis, Mothman and the Thunderbirds, Eyes Fly
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Dunk!records – Bandcamp | Website | Facebook

Huracan is:
– Tijs De Langhe (drums, vocals)
– Geert Reygaert (guitar)
– Bert Roos (bass, vocals)
– Christophe Wille (guitar, vocals)