Black Foxxes announced their fourth record The Haar in March of 2023. They did a Kickstarter that exceeded their expectations so much that they realized releasing it independently wasn’t realistic. After spending countless months finding the perfect fit for themselves at a record label, we finally have our first taste of the new record. The debut song from this era is called “I Can’t Be Left Alone With It”

The song begins with a piano reminiscent of In Rainbows era Radiohead. I’m completely aware that Radiohead is a common comparison with music, but this piano feels like an homage to that era of Radiohead. When the strings come in there is an uneasiness and tension that’s created with them, reminding me of the best blend of Sigur Rós and Godspeed! You Black Emperor imaginable. Similarly when the bass comes in there’s another layer of darkness in the music added by bassist Jack Barrett. It comes in dramatically, and jarringly high in the mix. The drums as far as I can tell are a blend of electronic and studio drums with a clicking that drives the second verse of the song while drummer Finn Mclean holds back and plays quietly to match the vibe of the music.

There are little subtleties scattered around this song that truly show you how much thought they put into the mix of this song. A great example is the exaggeration of the “t” sound when he says the word “it” before the first section of the song ends. It creates an atmosphere about the song that makes you feel like you’re in the room with the band.

The lyrics of this song are so dense and create incredible imagery as singer Mark Holley continues to callback the title of the song, “I Can’t Be Left Alone With It” to end each verse. The section that stuck out to me the most was “Put Me On The Podium, hollow out the darkest sun” and later when he says “winter never turned into spring” which makes me think of the hollow sun. He also says later in the song “my skin is shedding off of me” which I can’t help but wonder if it’s a brilliant callback to their song “My Skin Is” where he says “my skin is cracked” Is this character the same in these songs, and has their skin has gone from cracked to peeling off of them?

“I’m falling down into sand up to my knees” is how Mark ends the song lyrically before the music plays us off, and leaves a sense of dread behind with it.

Part of the magic of this song to me is there isn’t that big payoff moment that we’ve seen before in songs like “Take Me Home” from Black Foxxes. They build the song slowly adding strings, bass, and drums where each have their individual impact on the song, but they never let the song explode. Sometimes when you expect that payoff and the band shows restraint that in itself feels satisfying. It continues to show the strength of this band and their unpredictability.

There are truly no other songs in their discography to compare this song to, and that’s part of what makes this band so eclectic. The band makes it a point to never make the same record twice, and in this case not even the same song twice.

It’s a bold statement from Black Foxxes, but after they introduced their last new era with “Badlands” we should not be surprised. I think this daring move will pay off just the same way, where it brings a lot of attention and buzz before they officially announce The Haar to the world.

reviewed by Adam Backus