Hana Piranha – Soliloquy (2020)
To put it simply, Hana Piranha is the decadent indulgence of classical training, ethereal vocals and robust melodies. Vocalist Hana Maria was born during a hurricane in the distant land of Middle Earth. Alright, so Middle Earth is really the luscious fields of New Zealand, but Hana Maria could definitely be an elf if she wants to be. Her celestial demeanour represented in her exquisite music style puts her up there with elven royalty.
Hana Maria studied the piano and violin from a young age, but the family relocated to the UK when she was twelve years old. She continued her musical education at The Purcell School until the age of seventeen. Discouraged by the restrictions of classical training, Hana Maria founded the rock band Hana Piranha to express herself outside of the box.
Combining simple instrumentation with a hard rock influence, Hana Maria (vocals and violin), James Bulbeck (guitar), Daniel Tompkins (bass) and Andrew Lane (drums) provide an unorthodox balance between melody and lyrics. Reminiscent of The Dresden Dolls, Hana Piranha is an enigmatic group making music, not for the faint of heart.
After three albums, Hana Piranha is on their fourth album – Wednesday’s Child. Associated with emotional empathy, Wednesday’s children are considered compassionate to the point of sadness. The tracks on Hana Piranha’s Wednesday’s Child clearly draws on the children’s poem, particularly the final track ‘Soliloquy’.
The eccentric quartet demonstrates their unique music effortlessly in ‘Soliloquy’. While known for her robust violin, Hana Maria turns to the harp for a softer and more sensitive sound on Wednesday’s Child. ‘Soliloquy’ is a stripped-back track with piano, violin and vocals allowing people to focus on the concept. This track is a tale of tragedy with self-realisation that love and being loved in return is a person’s only salvation in this distressing existence. Combining tragedy with Hana Maria’s direct vocals, the effect is personalised, emotional and heart-rendering.
The influence of Garbage is clear in ‘Soliloquy’, along with the rock air of Evanescence during their earlier years. If Hana Piranha continues delivering an individualistic sound, it will not be long until they’re mentioned in the same breath as Rasputina or The Dresden Dolls.
