i Häxa

Biography:

Mysterious, multifaceted collective i Häxa have announced the arrival of ‘Part 1’ on February 16th, 2024, with preview piece ‘Underworld’ released today as a tantalising teaser for what is to come. Doubling as the electronica-soaked, alt-folk soundtrack to a mesmerising short film made in collaboration with director Daniel Broadley; ‘Part 1’ marks the beginning of an innovative year-long, audio-visual campaign, released through Berlin’s Pelagic Records.

A singular vision that weaves together genre-defiant soundscapes, longform abstract film and ancient meteorological mythologies; i Häxa is a breathtaking dissection of the world as we know it, a forceful separation of the monotony of modernity from the rites and rituals that for centuries formed the foundations for who we are, how we came to be and where we claim to belong. Disjointed fragments of time collide. Two sides, one of logic and one of chaos, seeking unity and balance through an expression of freedom. This is i Häxa. 

‘Part 1’ takes the form of four post-apocalyptic pieces steeped in alt-folk and harsh electronics that come together to score an unsettling visual journey. A nameless, wraith-like woman wakes to an ever-shifting fever dream of eerily familiar faces, nameless places and unbridled, impassioned impulse.

Tense with knife-edge string drone and hushed close harmonies, lead single and opening piece ‘Underworld’ erupts without warning into pulsing, dubbed up electronica, pushing the project’s creative dichotomy to the fore as the film’s protagonist is accosted by a trio of masked figures who break the forest’s tranquil spell and leave our heroine forever afraid of what may lie in wait behind the treeline… 

Whilst ‘Part 1’ is composed of four distinct movements, pulling them apart into easily digestible singles isn’t an easy feat. In an age of fast fun and instant gratification, the ties that bind this work together are intended to transcend tracklisting. With aural, visual and lyrical themes freely intertwining, i Häxa is something to be consumed whole; just as it will, in time, consume you.

‘Part 1’ is but the start of a truly ambitious, year-long multifaceted project from singer-songwriter and visual artist Rebecca Need-Menear (of electronic alt-rock duo Anavae) and forward-thinking producer Peter Miles (Architects, Dodie, Fizz). Together, as i Häxa, Need-Menear and Miles will be using the seasonal solstices of 2024 as waypoints to unveil three further collections of songs and cinematics ahead of a vinyl box-set combining all four Parts and a full-length album, entitled ___, set for release in November. The project charts an existential journey to the very depths of what makes us human, with every impassioned pang amplified in glitched-out, technicolour glory, before ultimately pulling everything together as one awesome, unified whole. 

A project years in the making that draws simultaneously from rituals for old gods and the modern day deification of data, i Häxa is both heartwarming and horrifying; i Häxa is ancient history and hyper-real; i Häxa is everybody and no one at all; i Häxa is for you and for me; i Häxa is here and it is happening now.