Emerging over the last few years with a series of EPs and two studio albums, Haru Nemuri blends a dizzying array of influences into her sound, including pop, hip hop, electronic music and hardcore punk. Returning later this month with new EP ‘Insaint’, she leans further into the harder edges of that sound, as heard on new single ‘I Refuse’.
“Due to being a socially assigned gender of ‘woman’, there are instances where music is treated as if it is not fundamentally a form of expression”, she says of the new song. “This is closely intertwined with the labelling of those who are not considered ‘able-bodied’, ‘conventionally beautiful’ or ‘a male’ in this society have faced and continue to face, even up to the present day. I felt the need to refuse all of that and to have a song that would redefine its significance”.
These themes are explored further across the new EP, she adds, saying: “In the world we live in, being ‘normal’ and ‘physically healthy’ individuals is often incredibly challenging. This is because the very structure of society itself often embodies exploitation, inequality and discrimination. Once you deviate from the norms, you're often treated as a different kind of person, sometimes ridiculed, and your existence may be marginalised, which can gradually make it difficult to maintain your sanity”.
“For everyone who feels left behind by the system and the confines of what is considered ‘normal’, who continue to doubt themselves and suffer while living in the present, may this EP, the hardcore punk of 2023, the feminism, exist for you”, she continues. “It was created with all my prayers”.
‘Insaint’ is set for release on 29 Sep. Nemuri will then be in the UK and Ireland for tour dates the following month, including a show at Studio 9294 in London on 11 Oct.
Watch the official live performance video of ‘I Refuse’ below.
