Baldy Crawlers introduce their forthcoming EP Fais Toi Plaisir with ‘Hatred?’, a contemporary folk song concerned with the psychological demands of war. But instead of presenting just a broad political argument, the group focuses on a single question: what happens when one person is expected to deny the humanity of another?
The song was prompted by a photograph of soldiers standing over a kneeling prisoner. Bandleader Martin Maudal was particularly affected by the expressions of those pictured, seeing distress in both the captive and among his captors. That observation became the basis of a song that considers conflict as a system capable of damaging everyone caught within it, although not necessarily in equal ways.
Its opening lyric establishes that perspective through the recognition of familiarity in another person’s voice. The narrator hears someone who has been designated an enemy but sounds, nevertheless, like a brother. It’s a simple image, but one that effectively challenges the emotional distance required to sustain hatred.
Musically, ‘Hatred?’ is deliberately sparse. Acoustic guitar provides the main structure, joined by cello and three-part vocal harmony. The arrangement doesn’t attempt to dramatise the subject through a large crescendo or dense production. Instead, the limited instrumentation places greater attention on the words and the interaction between the voices.
The cello also adds weight to the arrangement, but it is used with restraint. Its presence deepens the sombre tone while allowing the acoustic guitar to retain the song’s direct, folk-based character.
As the first release from Fais Toi Plaisir, ‘Hatred?’ reveals only one part of Baldy Crawlers’ wider musical range. The collective brings together musicians with backgrounds in folk, Americana, jazz and Latin music, while Maudal’s work as a luthier gives the project an additional connection to handmade instrumentation. For this track, however, those broader influences remain secondary to the needs of the song.
‘Hatred?’ is a thoughtful protest piece that avoids slogans and exaggerated sentiment. Its argument is conveyed through observation, limited instrumentation and a carefully maintained sense of uncertainty. Baldy Crawlers don’t offer a solution to the conditions they describe, but they make a clear case for preserving empathy within them.