As If You Were Sworn tiré de l'album de Hatif sur LRdR
Hatif’s Album Small States Maps a Borderless Sound Today, May 23, Swedish electronic duo Hatif releases Small States, their second full-length album. The record builds on the band's stark, melodic electronic style while expanding into new emotional and compositional territory. With a sound rooted in rhythm and texture, Hatif continues to work outside easy genre definitions. Their music sits somewhere between electronic pop, darkwave, post-punk and electro, shaped by a harmonic language that draws on Middle Eastern modes. Melody is central, led by vocals or synths and shaped by tonal shifts that can feel both natural and unexpected. These modal influences aren't just decorative, they guide how the songs open up, build tension and find their way forward. The album features previously released singles “Direction”, “Take the Bait”, “Dreams Are Alive” and “Broken Bucket”, which together outline the thematic and tonal world of Small States. The full track list reveals a work designed with sequence in mind, not just a collection of songs but a set of linked states. The music on Small States rests on repetition and subtle variation. Rhythms shift between steady and fractured. Loops build tension; noise cuts through. Vocals stay clear, even when sung through a distortion pedal. The production leans into contrast: dry and saturated, mechanical and warm, built and broken. The track “Direction” drifts through uncertainty and motion. The track builds a dark tension with pulsating synths, and a heavy beat. You can almost imagine David Bowie sitting in a big iron steam train working its way through the landscape at night. The track drifts between uncertainty and introspection, with a sense of restlessness running through it. The vocals circle around the subject, at times questioning, at times defining it, while steady, dense rhythms push the song forward, like something is unfolding in real time. “Take the Bait” is driven by tension and persistence. It's steady, yet uneasy rhythm is underscored by distant vocals' that echo themes of conflict, resilience and frustration — but also a quiet strength. Small States refers to more than countries or borders. The album reflects on fragile zones between people. Relationships, hierarchies, power dynamics and shared space. These are songs about proximity and difference, about moments that don’t announce themselves but still change things. The lyrics suggest rather than explain. Much like the music, they hold space for uncertainty. If you like interessting dark electronic pop, and a re-thinking of how dark wave and post-punk can sound, Hatif is a must listen.