Establishing the mood with a cerebral bass frequency, astral synth notes and an industrial crescendo, The Hardness open Crush with dimensionality and instrumental mastery with a touch of drama and cinematic nuance. It feels sonically ready for a massive Hollywood movie.

The opus expands with atmospheric vocals and the metaphorical lyrics, “Day one, nobody saw the fire, day two, the flicker reached up to the moon, day five, no one could escape the raging silence, lost like a child in the dune…”

Crush taps into the notion of personal transformation through struggle. The prose is abound with metaphors for internal chaos, emotional upheaval, and trauma. The imagery of days progressing suggests an intensifying crisis. There is some catharsis though – the confrontation of demons and the motivation harnessing inner turmoil as fuel for growth. Crush embraces pain as part of the healing process. The Hardness invite us to face our darkness and transcend it!

We deeply connect with the intentional nature of the four-piece rock band from Kyiv, founded in 2011 by Julia Sanina and Val Bebko. Of course there is a zeitgeist parallel with the message of the song, with reference to the state of our shared physical reality. The poetic prowess intertwines cosmically with the instrumental mastery and stadium-ready sound.

The Ukrainian band tells us “It’s about falling silent. The war has changed everything. We painstakingly built our own studio in Ukraine. But right now, normal use is impossible. When the invasion began, we were abroad. We immediately decided: we have to help, be visible. Since then, The Hardkiss have been actively involved in social and humanitarian projects. Every Ukrainian act today carries more than just music. We are all on a mission.”

We deeply connect with the message and authenticity that transmutes with Crush, and have added the song to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream The Hardkiss‘ wider discography, including Ko6pa.

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