Ha the Unclear, ‘Growing Mould’ – Exclusive Premiere

Based in New Zealand, Ha the Unclear have a unique knack for creating retro-tinted modern pop tunes. This is obvious on their previous releases -- including the 2011 EPs 'Mould' and 'Animal Diseases and Suspicious Packages.' Ahead of the release of their latest full-length record, 'Bacterium, Look at Your Motor Go,' Ha the Unclear have teamed up with Diffuser to debut the brand new, yet somehow vintage, track, 'Growing Mould.' Stream the song exclusively in the player below.

“I had the chorus melody and backing vocal floating around for about a year on a phone demo but I wasn’t really sure what to do with it,” frontman Michael Cathro explains about the new tune. “I don’t remember recording it, I just found it on my phone one day. When I needed a chorus for ‘Growing Mould,’ I reworked it a wee bit and it fit right. Then we figured out the parts in the band room over biscuits.”

Described as a "monologue dictated via a building’s intercom system," Cathro explains the meaning behind the song's lyrics. “In a tall building where I used to work, I had to enter this code into a keypad every time I wanted to get in, so that gave me the initial lyric,” he tells us. “The overarching theme just came from an idea I had about wanting to have someone moaning through an intercom about their sh---y day. Eventually it turned into a one-sided break up.”

Cathro continues, "It’s a story about a person who is trying to get into their lover’s building only to find they’ve changed the door code on them. Eventually, they realize that this is a break-up and they want to know why. They’ve given no explanation. Then, the character reflects on their crap qualities and wonders which one was the final straw. So the central point of the song kind of became this self-flagellation and I wanted to be self-deprecating as punishment for turning it into a break-up song.”

For more details on Ha the Unclear's upcoming studio album, 'Bacterium, Look at Your Motor Go,' visit their official website here.