The Hunna – “I’d Rather Die Than Let You In” Review
The world is drastically changing and emotions are running high.
There is so much pent-up anger, angst and desperation within people now, and The Hunna have captured all of those feelings into one cohesive album.
The Hunna are a British alternative rock band of four. On Oct. 2, they released their third full length album called “I’d Rather Die Than Let You In.”
This album targets every person who is fed up with the world right now, whether due to Covid-19 pandemic, the political climate, or the year of 2020 in general. From the heavy instrumentals to the powerful lyrics, The Hunna has truly created a dark album.
“I’d Rather Die Than Let You In” includes 12 songs, all centered around a collective feeling of frustration. The band has recently opened up about the struggles they faced with their record label, and the overall emotions in the album showcase their bitterness.
The lead singer, Ryan Potter, delivers grungy vocals and also experiments with electronic voice-overs as a deterrence from the prior albums. This album is also full of build ups to powerful instrumental beat drops.
The first song on the album, “One Hell Of A Gory Story…” is unique in that it is composed of spoken words rather than singing.
Potter instead rhythmically projects the idea of a corrupt society filled with evil and hate. He refers to the storyline of the entire album as “this Hunna horror story,” alluding to the fact that the album was created from their struggles.
The idea of injustice and lack of trust in the world is continued throughout the album and is especially present in the song “Horror.”
This song is also innovative because it begins with voice-overs from news reports during the California wildfires. The sound of fire crackling plays throughout the beginning and end of the song to reiterate the theme.
This creates the ominous tone that is carried throughout the rest of the song.
The song “Lost” has the same thematic and instrumental continuity. Surprisingly, it even carries remnants of one of The Hunna’s older songs “Flickin’ Your Hair” that was featured on their 2018 album “Dare.” Both songs begin with similar guitar chords and strums, which is an exciting detail for longtime fans.
Like many albums, even those that fall under the rock genre, “I’d Rather Die Than Let You In” features one slower, ballad-type song. “If This Is Love” strays from the upbeat, head-banging tempo of the album and features a female artist who goes by the stage name: phem.
The song falls short in comparison to the other 11 because it is vocal heavy and lacks the strong support from the guitarist in the band. It is more electronic, and the band only accompanies the vocalists towards the very end of the song.
In comparison to The Hunna’s past two albums, “I’d Rather Die Than Let You In” holds up but the use of autotune throughout the album is not necessary and contrasts with the rock and roll sound that fans know and love. Fortunately, most of the songs feature guitar riffs, which help make up for the more electronic feel of the album.
“I’d Rather Die Than Let You In” has the upbeat energy to make for a great concert setlist, from the catchy lyrics to the fist-pumping beat. Overall, the lyrics in most of the songs are very relatable during these times of uncertainty.
As asked in the song “Dark Times” on this new album, “when will this world ever change?” No one knows the answer, but singing along with the angry frustrations is definitely a way to cope.
Rating: 7/10
Reviewer’s Favorite Songs: “Lost” and “I Wanna Know”
Reviewer’s Least Favorite Song: “If This Is Love” (feat. phem)
Courtney Benedetto is a freshman majoring in print/digital journalism. To contact her, email cmb7747@psu.edu.
