Six Strings of Tension

SSOT 02 - Barron Harley (Ugly Boyfriend; Hated Related; Hangszeres; etc.)


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Second episode baby! This time with the refined and magnificent songwriter that is Barron Harley. 


Personally, I believe his one man project, Ugly Boyfriend, features some of the best songwriting happening in the world today in terms of catchy, emotive and heartfelt outsider pop, with just a shimmer of punk leanings. He is, however probably most well-known for his punky, yet simultaneously understated and complex band, Hated Related. Anyway, this is a guy who wields the guitar as a tool to conjure up songs to comfort and caress in the tear-soaked sheets and on the cocaine-dusted streets.


We speak about how a David Bowie DVD he saw when he was 12 kicked off his musical journey, his love for twangy Fender Telecasters, jangly Vox amps, and get deep into discussions around the Durban music scene specifically - the clubs, the people, the open mics, the beefs, etc.


The conversation ranges across discussion topics from the craft and joy of two and a half minute long songs, Oscar Pistorius putting South Africa on the map, and the outsider magic of Daniel Johnston.


Anyway, allow me to invite you to listen to an in-depth and unguarded conversation with one of Durban's finest songwriters.

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Six Strings of TensionBy Duncan Park