Los Angeles-based Bara Hari has shared a new single with the release of “Violence Rising,” the second darkly rapt vision the multidisciplinary artist has unveiled from their coming debut album Lesser Gods. It arrives on the heels of “Tempest,” the lead single consumed by a hurricane’s worth of emotional and melodic turbulence that also revealed her love of fantasy-vaudeville aesthetics. It’s this intersection of “myth and trauma” that Sam Franco — the project’s creator who writes, records, and produces the entirety of her work — uses to create the ethereal music of Bara Hari.
In “Violence Rising,” a droning mix of futuristic electronica fills the spaces between Bara Hari’s wails. One more inspired by scenes of medieval mysticism and fairytales alike, the track imagines the fall of a self-righteous queen who realizes her beliefs and worldview are no better than the ones she vehemently opposes. A stunning fall from grace ensues (“Now nothing is sacred / We’re fighting all the time/ Victims of our own hand not a power that’s divine”) and leads to an unending cycle of violence and retaliation.
Against the ecstatic surges of heady percussion and cacophonous synths, Bara Hari draws on all the shock and awe she finds in such fantastical visions. But the centerpiece of “Violence Rising” is her own layered vocals, which explode and haunt the track’s intertwined melodies.
Taking inspiration from Renaissance art and all her myriad mythic imaginings, the music video for “Violence Rising” creates an enthralling look at the narrative the song alludes to. Directed by Bara Hari herself the video sees the artist dressed as the picturesque queen as she wanders the halls of the palace, decorated with religious paraphernalia and stunning stained glass windows. Like it was pulled straight from the mesmerizing but dark pages filled by the Brothers Grimm Fairytales. And as the song descends into its dizzying finale so does the queen, down into murky dungeons where shadowy violence ensues.
Lesser Gods the new album from Bara Hari is coming soon!
Visit Bara Hari on their Bandcamp, Twitter, and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
Words by Steven Ward
Watch the music video for “Violence Rising” the new single from Bara Hari below!
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