Lover Politician EP - Hairshirt

2006 | Music recording | Contraphonic Records CD / Digital

"Hairshirt move beyond the basement of free-form noise and the crunch of the garage into an area of catchy, intensely beautiful songs that maintain a certain `80s post-punk edge." - Ralph Valdez, WDET FM

"Hairshirt is very different from anything you’ve heard in the past twenty years! They are a band who has traveled through time from the 1980s to present day and brought the keyboards and synthesizers with them. The Lover Politician EP is an upbeat, high energy album. When that energy is coupled with the fact that Hairshirt is extremely talented in their craft, the full 25 minutes is a delight. Their music is psychedelic, ethereal, tranquil and lively. They run the gamut of ‘80’s talent- from the gloomy Sisters of Mercy style of “Obstacles” to the more upbeat and mainstream New Order-esque songs such as “Trapper Keeper”. Overall, the Lover Politician EP is well worth the listen and repeat listens. If any band can bring the 80’s back and make it popular again, it would be Hairshirt. -Andrea Caruso, Independent Clauses

"Nothing is quite as powerful as new sounds crackling onto fresh ears, as one can see from the effect that American punk had on Bosnian Amir Husak. Inspiration sprung forth - Iggy Pop records taught him to speak English and he was lured to Detroit, meeting like-minded musicians in an effort to bridge inspiration into fruition. After spending the winter months experimenting in a cold Detroit warehouse, Hairshirt emerged in Summer 2002. Drawing upon a broad range of influences (from Can to Echo & the Bunnymen) and applying an artist's aesthetic to their work, Hairshirt set themselves apart from their contemporaries. The result landed packed shows across the Detroit area, a short tour of Germany, and a single on Boyarm Records. Now, Contraphonic Music continues to capture tomorrow's Detroit sound today with the release of Hairshirt's Lover Politician EP. Over the course of twenty-five minutes, a delicate aural assault unfolds, from the chiming beginnings of sly anthem "Like a Leaf" to the spaced-out Can-cum-Residents dub of "Trapper Keepers" and the velvety psych of closing track "Rubber Hands." - Ken Taylor, Apple Music