i Häxa – ‘Oceans’ Review

What does i Häxa sound like?

When faun folk embraces their dark metal era.

The review of ‘Oceans’ by i Häxa

Following on from their superb 2024 self-titled album, London-based i Häxa returns with ‘Oceans’, a 3-track single that heralds a new era of dark folk with explosions of metal. If you haven’t experienced i Häxa before, the duo permeates the same ether and emotions as artists like Chelsea Wolfe. i Häxa has a slightly more experimental sound design tilt to their music, but if you want to experience the beauty of darkness through the sound of a siren, i Häxa has you covered.

‘Oceans’ opens the single with a blast. This is the heaviest, most metal-forward track on the release. Singer-songwriter and visual artist Rebecca Need-Menear captivates with her voice. She shapeshifts from aggressive choruses to ethereal, trip-hop dreams in the verses. Producer Peter Miles works magic with the caustic, blown-out drum loops that smash like bones, before the driving electric guitar swarms in. The chasms between the tranquil verses and chaotic choruses make ‘Oceans’ spellbinding.

‘Swell’ follows on without a pause for breath. This track explores the dark ambient aspects of i Häxa’s sound palette. Distant, filtered drum loops wriggle into your ears, draped and masked by dissonant fuzz and crackles. The entire track feels like the embers of an electric guitar are about to ignite. Feedback, frequency squeaks, hollow reverbs, and bass guitar gurgle and purr to form a dense shroud of noise. It’s an atonal drone and utterly captivating, as Rebecca’s voice floats disembodied around your ears. The noise fades to unveil the rolling piano intro for ‘Fishing Net’. This is a dark, ghostly folk track filled with thin cello motifs, mellotron keys, clickity electronics, and pizzicato string arrangements. It has a gothic music box feel to it. i Häxa also push the music along at pace, too. What could have been a ballad turns into a gypsy dance into oblivion, as drum loops kick in at danceable speeds. The ending closes out with the whole rock edge of i Häxa returning before the song shuts down with a playful quip.

Three very different songs, yet three very connected songs. i Häxa’s emotional tone and heavy, otherworldly vocals, mixed with dark ambient metal, create hundreds of spaces to explore. Yet, despite finding three different styles and spaces, they tell a complete story and feel like a trippy Alice in Wonderland adventure. After two years away, ‘Oceans’ continues to captivate me just as much as i Häxa’s debut album. I am so excited to hear where Rebecca and Peter take us, as I know we’ll be on a journey.

Recommended track: Ocean

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