Swiss band goes on virtual Antarctic expedition
Antarctica has been inspiring people for centuries. Not only explorers and scientists or tourists, but also artists from all fields have been inspired by the white continent. Recently, the Swiss indie rock band “Hanreti” can also be added to the list of artists who have been kissed by the muse “Antarctica”.
The new album, the band’s fifth, aims to take the listener on an Antarctic expedition and tell its story. This is the idea of the five-person band “Hanreti” and the head of the band, Timo Keller. The first single “Fade away”, which has just been released, is about penguin bacteria and a researcher, according to the band on their Facebook page. Those who want to delve further into the story of the Antarctic expedition will be able to do so in the spring of 2022, when the concept album will be released by Orange Peel Records.
“On the other hand, Antarctica represents the last nothingness, the last white spot.”
Tim Keller, singer of “Hanreti”.
The band “Hanreti” is known for not allowing itself to be pigeonholed. Since 2015, the five musicians Timo Keller, Jeremy Sigrist, Marion Hänni, Rees Coray and Lukas Weber have interwoven the most diverse musical styles such as funk, rock, soul, hip hop or even indie and created their own distinctive style. New pages are being turned again for “Fade away”. The song and the accompanying album use the psychedelic side of rock music, the band explains in the press release. But why an Antarctic expedition? “The image of the polar explorers stands for the arrogance of man to penetrate the last gap of the unexplored and the absurdity of wanting to dominate everything” explains singer Timo Keller. “On the other hand, Antarctica represents the last nothingness, the last white spot.”
However, the album is not just a music album, but there is a whole concept behind it, which is focused on Antarctica. So the video for the single “Fade away” was shot in the cultural venue “Südpol” (South Pole) in Lucerne and the musicians play their piece while Antarctica is virtually faded in in the background. In addition to the music album, an album film is also planned to complement the concept. “I wanted to try more horizontal arrangements with this album, and early on I was inspired by images of Antarctica,” Timo Keller says.
It’s not uncommon for musicians to be inspired by Antarctica. On several occasions, artists such as Joss Stone, Lorde or Metallica have travelled to the vastness of the Southern Ocean, to subantarctic islands or to Antarctica itself in order to get a picture of this last white wilderness and also to be inspired. So the Lucerneers are in illustrious company and it shows that Antarctica simply fascinates, whether in reality or virtually.
Dr Michael Wenger, PolarJournal
