Introducing: The Haptics

Vancouver quartet The Haptics aim to give their listeners the chills with a deliciously dark and engaging grungey post-punk sound that they describe as “noisy and moody.”

The Haptics formed in 2022 through a mutual love for post-punk, after guitarist Cam posted an ad on the local musicians wanted section of Craigslist. He soon discovered vocalist Jin, bassist Michael and drummer Alexis and they started out jamming some cover tracks. But, unified by a love for post-punk beats, alternative rock and grunge, they quickly decided to write original music to see how far they could take the band.

And on the sound they’ve crafted since, the band told us: “I personally think we’re a good mix of post-punk, post-grunge, and post-rock. Kind of a noisy proto-garage sound married to post-punk rhythms.”

Our latest taste of this is Masquerade, which was released last week and is the latest in a series of singles from the band’s second full album, which will be released in mid-June. Masquerade opens up with an edgy high-pitched guitar lick that continues as light drums and bass and then Jin’s vocals join in. The drums pick up as it flows into an engaging chorus and straight back into another verse. A second chorus ends with a brief funky guitar lick that drops back into an encapsulating verse, and a chorus brings things to an end.

The latest batch of songs include the slightly unnerving Ghost and more jaunty Biodome. But we love the particularly dark and moody Vows, which opens up with a cool guitar lick that drops into the engaging vocals “Call me trouble, Call me nice, Call me angel, Call me twice, Call me sinner, Call me saint, Be my answer, Cause me pain.” That flows into a brief, more intense chorus before another lively verse builds into an extended chorus led by Jin’s engaging drawn-out vocals. A second chorus is followed by big driving guitar chords, before a funky little noodling guitar lick tee up another big chorus before ending with the opening vocals and another chorus.

On their recent releases, the band explained: “These are all songs off of our second full album to be released mid-June of this year. So far the reception to the singles has been really great and positive. I think people are digging the vibe of what we are doing. I think people can expect some catchy tunes that hit you right in the feels. Jin has a mesmerizing voice that really grabs you, and the lyrics are so introspective and raw…. it gives me chills at practice all the time.”

And if you like what you’ve heard so far, we firmly recommend their 2023 EP Zero Gravity, which includes the lively Mouse, and their debut album second-best, released in 2022.

The Haptics sound has been inspired by a range of influences, with Jun’s love of Stone Temple Pilots and Alice In Chains and Cam’s taste ranging from Hall & Oates to Tom Petty and Osees. While Mike is big into Queens of the Stone Age and Yacht Rock and Alexis is happy listening to country one minute and metal the next.

And on what inspires them to write music, they told us: “Jin is constantly coming up with amazing introspective lyrics that reflect stories from her life. Often, they touch on themes of love lost or paths lost. She has a way of peeling back the outer layers to really get to the centre of the issue. I am constantly amazed at her ability to touch on that rawness and portray it so vividly every show.”

The Haptics are busy putting the final touches on their second album, which will be out in June. They’ll also be playing an album release show at the Astoria in Vancouver towards the end of June and are hoping to play some festivals over the summer.

You can follow The Haptics on Facebook and Instagram, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.