Where noise and melodic cohesion collide. HIRAKI & Meejah’s sonic exchange unveils the boundless and exciting trajectories being explored within the chasms of underground music.
Release date: March 13, 2026 | Pelagic Records | Facebook | Instagram |Bandcamp
Denmark’s underground scene certainly feels like one that dosen’t always get as much credit, especially when considering it’s heavier aspects, as opposed to its neighbours in Sweden and Norway. Nonetheless, the nation is not without a flourishing creative community of avant-gardists and DIY practioners, from dream pop and urban techno to noise-infused ambient forms of punk and industrial. Two artists who are emerging from this sparse network of experimental sound are the progressive synthpunk band HIRAKI and excessive post-rockers Meejah. Both bands manifest a range of unique, left-field sonic characteristics and maintain a significant presence within both the Danish and transglobal underground music scene, through their performances at many regional festivals and collaborative efforts with John Cxnnor. It may come as a natural evolution for these two artists to collaborate and deliver an EP that demonstrates both sides’ best sonic qualities whilst offering a glimpse for new listeners to dive into their discographies further.
The EP opens with “Redirect Revenge”, featuring guest vocals from Loïc Rossetti (formerly of The Ocean): a powerful and direct track which really showcases Meejah vocalist Mai Soon Young Øvlisen’s excessive range that interlaces warm vocal deliveries with spoken word like roars. The interplay between Øvlisen and Rossetti is a strong point on this track whilst much can also be said for the instrumentation, which exhibits several post-metal and doom metal leanings. The second track, “All Contrast”, then allows HIRAKI to establish their musical presence, exemplifying abrasive and volatile characteristics that hone many hardcore and noise-infused traits. An unconventionally timed shift in structure further keeps things interesting, going from this initial verse-to-chorus stylised form that exerts aggressive, punk-like ideas, then suddenly working into a mysterious, noise-soaked soundscape built of static-like synth pads and illusive drones – all whilst spoken word samples and incoherent wails fill the sonic void.
“Preserve/Manifest” further plays on this electronic experimentation that encourages a more artful approach to the song structure. The theremin-like synths form the base, and the guitars are utilised as noise layers to paint the atmosphere whilst the vocal lines continue to express a notion of inner turmoil. The grooves produced here allow the listener to configure some sort of hook to follow along to, and this allows them to become further immersed in this wistfully abrasive collage of sounds and noise. You certainly get moments of The Body and Deafheaven here, and it certainly shows both artists’ influences are worn up their sleeve in sonically mature fashion. The final track of the EP, “Dead Calls”, brings things full circle by allowing Meejah to take the helm with their transportive brand of post-rock through cresendoing guitars and shoegazey textures that combine melancholy with heaviness.
Whilst a short and collaborative effort that only really scratches the surface of both Meejah and HIRAKI‘s abilities as musicians, INTERWOVEN certainly leaves enough for anyone familiar with each artist’s work as well as new listeners, allowing the opportunity for them to articulate the uniqueness of their sounds and surely spark some curiosity into what each band is capable of on their own. It can feel quite exciting finding hidden gems in the form of splits, collaborations, and live recordings from all sorts of avenues within the underground music scene and this EP is a prime example of why.
