The Hu Return With 'The Hun'

The Hu burst on the scene with their 2019 debut, The Gereg. Their world hasn’t been the same since. The pioneers of a genre now called Hunnu Rock, brought new eyes to the culture of Mongolia with their unique style of music. The weaving of traditional Mongolian instruments & throat singing, with western rock styles, is crafted to near perfection in their third studio album, The Hun.

The album starts off with “Warrior Chant”. Like most of their songs, this one is in Mongolian, not English. The deep vocals, combined with an almost mournful, haunting ambiance created by the throat singing, starts off slow. For me, this always gives me a chance to close my eyes and let the music seep into my bones. As it builds over the length of the song, it crescendos into a rousing chant, calling to the warriors. The Hu masterfully use the traditional techniques to create an audible landscape that one can easily visualize.

The song “Lost Soul” is a collaboration with Johnny Hawkins & his band, Nothing More. This song is a mix of English & Mongolian. The unmistakable sound of Nothing More creates a strong contrast with the traditional sound from The Hu. The collaborations with western artists, on this and previous albums, tend to lean more on the western instrumentation. The vocals from Hawkins add dimension to the song, that when combined with the deeper, rougher vocals from The Hu, creates an urgency that calls to the lost soul.

As each song on this album plays through, you are taking a step into another world. The hypnotic musical textures & deep sounds, bring you into their world. Each video made, adds imagery that is a study in Mongolian culture. The song & video of “Horsemen” is a prime example. The music itself, creates a sound reminiscent of horses. The video expertly adds the visual, that the soundscape suggests. The Mongolian horse is an ancient breed that is relatively unchanged since the days of Genghis Khan. These horses are an integral part of the culture. In this song, they are celebrated. Their speed, strength, & endurance is evident in the gala, mongolian, video, as the herd gallops across the screen.

In the press release that accompanied the album for review, there is a quote from Gala, the lead vocalist & founding member of the band, that has stuck with me. “We are trying to create paths Mongolian artists.” He continued later, “…we’re making universal music. We hope to have even more people around the world become interested in Mongolian language and culture, and that’s why we do what we do.” With their music, they have brought the beauty of their culture, which has been hidden for so long, to the world. There is a quote on their website that sums up their intentions. “Be heard in every nation and every tongue wherever the sun rises.” The Hu are definitely living up to those words.

I’m Music Magazine Photographer/Music Journalist Michele Hancock