ALBUM REVIEW: Hara – Dätcha Mandala

Nostalgia can be a burden. It can also be very much a blessing when it is put to good use and that is exactly what DÄTCHA MANDALA do best. The french trio have developed a penchant for using just the right amount of a throwback 1970s aesthetic and channelling it effectively into their modern day fuzz soaked blues rock. The band released their debut release Rokh back in 2007 and then took to the road to pedal their wares around the world, racking up countless miles and accruing a large amount of critical acclaim as they went. Now, in 2020 the boys are back with their long awaited sophomore effort Hara.

The album opens with the track Stick It Out and sets about doing what they do best, creating an infectious groove with the rumbling bass of frontman Nicolas Sauvey and the booming drum sound created by Jean-Baptise Mallet link up with the crunchy guitar tone of Jérémy Saigne to display the band’s signature sound. A highlight of the DÄTCHA MANDALA sound has always been their harmonised vocals, the melody is drowned in reverb and harks back to the greats such as LED ZEPPELIN, with a hook that burrows it’s way into the ear canal.

The following track Mother God sees the boys digging in to their bag of tricks and pulling out a pure blues song. The off kilter guitar riffs from Saigne sound like they could have come from the fingers of Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards themselves. The guitar solo towards the back end of the song shows creativity and restraint in equal measure, showing off the ability of Saigne, without stealing too much focus from tune itself proving that sometimes less is indeed more.

Missing Blues is a revelation of a song. The subtle use of the harmonica and the country stylings of the song in general show that the band have plenty of different bows to their string and are brave enough to explore them for the sake of variety and expanding their creative pallet. The guessing game continues with the following track Morning Song which opens with a slow paced piano section and soft harmonised vocals followed by using the same technique of harmonising with the guitars in the latter stages. Once again proving that DÄTCHA MANDALA are not afraid to take a left turn in order to keep the audience guessing and to keep things feeling fresh.

Unfortunately the second half of the album takes a turn for the less adventurous. This is not saying that any of the songs are of poor quality. More that they tend to air on the side of caution, trading their adventurous, explorative songwriting for calmer waters and easier days. The track Moha sounds like something that could be on an album by pop rock/indie darlings THE 1975, with the layering of the vocals and numerous effects that are used to create the sickly sweet melodies. It may not be a memorable effort, but it is certainly a passable pop track that will keep fans of this sort of thing appeased without offending rock and roll fans too much.

However, things end on a more straight forward note with the track Pavot, proving that despite their more artsy approach to song writing on Hara, the band still know how to rock with the best of them when they have to. The guitar tone is dense and fuzzed in a way that would make most doom metal bands take notice and the rhythm section is thumping in it’s delivery, with the vocal work from Sauvey sounding more emphatic than anywhere else you would find in the entirety of this release.

It goes without saying that DÄTCHA MANDALA know exactly how to write a decent hybrid rock album and are more than capable of writing both balls out rock and roll songs as well as bluesy ballads and everything in between. Where they falter though is finding the balance of it all, ensuring that the album flows the way it should without losing it’s overall direction. This is not a bad effort by any stretch, but it is a frustrating one when you are consider just how good it could have been.

Rating: 7/10

Hara is out now via Mrs Red Sound.

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