Do I understand them? Nope! Will you understand them? Probably not! That’s right. We’re talking about the HU. No, not The Who. The HU. The Mongolian rock band thrust into fame by Jedi: Fallen Order, and then (accidentally) thrust into “Star Wars” canon via a throwaway line from the main character.
The band formed in 2016 when their producer just kind of went, “Wanna make a rock band?” They did not actually release a song until 2018 with the two singles “Yuve Yuve Yu” and “Wolf Totem.”
From there they released two more singles in 2019, “Shoog Shoog,” “The Great Chinggis Khaan” and their first album “The Gereg.” After that, they released a cover of “Yuve Yuve Yu” with American rock band From Ashes to New. Then they worked with EA to produce, “Sugaan Essena” or “Black Thunder” (which hasn’t officially been released yet and I am L I V I D). They ended 2019 with a bang, releasing a cover of “Wolf Totem” with Jacoby Shaddix from Papa Roach.
This is normally where I’d go into the top five, but instead I’d like to make an interesting note. The HU received the highest Mongolian state award, the Order of Genghis Khan, for promoting Mongolian Culture worldwide.
Okay, now onto the star of the show.
“Shoog Shoog” is a fun song. It’s repetitive, punchy and I have no idea what they are saying, but I feel it. The guitar riff is a ton of fun, and I love the lead singer’s voice. It is so bassy and power-driven, and really brings the whole piece together.
“The Same” is one of the HU’s quieter songs. Very plucky in the beginning, driven along by the mouth harp before being joined by what sounds like a fiddle and a guitar. The lead vocals come in and slowly more instruments, too; it’s like a rolling tide, the tsunami of battle as the Mongolian army slowly approaches.
“Sugaan Essena.” Come on; you guys had to see this coming. It’s the first song that I heard by them, and it obviously made an impact. It sounds exactly like something from “Star Wars,” and fits perfectly. I cannot understand them, but that does not keep me from rocking out like I am in the middle of an alien firefight.
“Song of Women.” Who cares if it’s seven minutes long? It’s seven great minutes. It feels like a prog-rock piece taking its time to build up without blasting you in the face with too much sound. There’s also some higher pitched singing in there that really adds to the song, feeling like a piece you would listen to while on a long desert journey.
And finally, “The Great Chinggis Khaan.” It’s a story I think, maybe a historical recount of Genghis Khan. I still can’t understand what they’re saying. It builds up once again, like a prog-rock piece. You can tell exactly when it hits the main part because everything joins in in unison, and it is H O T. My only gripe is that the song doesn’t continue forever. I just want more.
Oh yeah, it’s update time!
Grandson has released a new song featuring K.Flay titled “Peaches (Text voter xx to 40694).” It’s in a similar vein to “Destroy Me” or “Put Me Under.” It’s a lovely duet piece that gets a bit weird at times, but I still enjoy it. The song speaks on feeling trapped, and making the best with what you have. And if you’re wondering what happens when you text the number, it helps you register to vote.
Dizzy also released a new song titled “Sunflower.” Have you ever heard of the band MGMT? Well the intro feels like one of their songs and I didn’t know I needed that in my life. It has the most relatable line ever with,“I know that I’m asleep when all my teeth come falling out.” It really captures the feeling of losing someone you were romantically interested in and being forced to relive that while you sleep. Was it even real to begin with? All this while being really upbeat and happy sounding.
That’s all for this week. As always, send feedback or criticism to [email protected]. I’ll see you all next time.