The sardonically magnetic singer-songwriter, Luke the Hater, sat down at a piano as it blazes in the official music video for ‘Coming Round‘, playing through the fire that smokes his way through his world and colours it into a grey haze. With Beatles-esque choral harmonies breaking the clouds in the choruses between the lamenting prose in the verses and hints of Noah and the Whale here and there—especially when the female harmonies weave their way into the folksy, indie vignette of pessimism—there’s no escaping the appeal of Luke the Hater, who, despite his moniker and his demeanour as the ennui guy of indie folk, has a heart of melancholic gold.
Coming Round takes on life’s absurdities, neuroses, and flatlining hope with an honest gaze and some of the most nonchalantly poetic phrasing you’ll hear in the indie circuit this year. The vocal arrangements swing from acerbic to angelic in a heartbeat, all the while, Luke’s ever-growing band of misfits, locals, and loyalists bring euphony to the chaos.
Formed from the sonic fallout of Ventnor—a chemical spill from Steephill that washed up and stayed weird—Luke the Hater has taken his former antics in Fat Earthers and transformed them into something laced with more brass, more bleakness, and far more brutal self-reflection. The debut may be raw, but it’s so keenly aware of its own dishevelment, it charms with the authenticity of a regret-soaked voicemail at 3am.
Coming Round is now available to stream on all major platforms. For the full experience, stream the official music video on YouTube.
Review by Amelia Vandergast.