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Interviews

Esther Hazy chat their debut album The War On Common Sense

In December, when we first came across Eggs, the first single from Esther Hazy’s forthcoming debut album The War On Common Sense, we were immediately immersed in the band’s rich folk sounds.

So before the full album drops later this month, we caught up with band member Ed Denton to chat about how the band came together and society’s ‘war on common sense’.

Before they release their debut full-length album The War On Common Sense later this month, we caught up with Esther Hazy’s Ed Denton for a chat.

HAPPY: Who is Esther Hazy?

ED: We’re an indie folk band consisting of Paul Lucyk on vocals and guitar, Neil Robinson (or Sug as we call him) on bass and vocals and myself on vocals, guitar, keys and even drums on one track. We have played with a number of drummers both live and in studio but most recently it’s been Oliver Martins who tracked a few songs on the album. And also, I produced and recorded the album.

HAPPY: Where is Esther Hazy from?

ED: It’s a tricky question to answer. Technically we are from Montreal (Quebec) which is where we formed but I’m from Ballarat (Victoria) and Paul and Neil are from Regina (Saskatchewan). They’re old buddies and have been playing in bands together since they were kids. Now I’m back living in Australia so the band is working remotely on our album promotion and we’re hoping to put together a tour later in the year.

HAPPY: Tell us about the album…

ED: It started as a side project Paul and I were working on earlier this year while our bass player was on tour with another band but after he got back and we continued working on it we realised we had enough material for an album. It’s a more chill album than our last EP, with lots of finger-style guitar and it’s the first time we have included some programmed beats and synths and even string arrangements on our recordings.

HAPPY: What about the album title “The War on Common Sense“?

ED: A theme throughout the album is the absurdity of the times we live in. The way social media and internet-life is now indistinguishable from real life, the endless warring of religions and left and right-wing politics and how people base their opinions on what their peers or preacher thinks or what is fashionable rather than using their own understanding to form opinions. The way a thief can break into your house, hurt them-self in the process and then sue you. The way people can refute global warming in the face of overwhelming evidence. It seems like common sense is under attack in modern society.

The War On Common Sense is available on January 14th through all streaming platforms.