Baldy Crawlers question the human cost of conflict on new single ‘Hatred?’

The question mark in ‘Hatred?’ is important. Here, Baldy Crawlers aren't approaching conflict with the certainty of a slogan or the force of a conventional protest anthem. Instead, the first single from their forthcoming EP 'Fais Toi Plaisir' examines what happens when ordinary people are instructed to see one another as enemies, quietly challenging whether hatred can ever be as complete as war requires it to be.

The song began with a photograph of soldiers standing over a kneeling prisoner. For songwriter Martin Maudal, the most striking detail was the shared distress visible across every face. Captors and captive appeared caught within the same machinery, each bearing the emotional weight of a situation that had reduced them to opposing roles.

The arrangement is suitably restrained, as acoustic guitar provides the basic framework, while cello introduces a deeper current of grief without overwhelming the song. Three-part harmonies broaden the emotional perspective, all while remaining close, vulnerable and deliberately unresolved.

The single also provides an understated introduction to Baldy Crawlers’ broader musical identity. Formed around Maudal’s work as a luthier and producer, the collective draws together folk, Americana, jazz and Latin influences, with many of its instruments carrying a close connection to the hands that built them. Throughout, the simplicity of the performance keeps attention on the lyric and its central dilemma.

Vocalists Elizabeth Hangan and Norrell Thompson contribute to a sense of shared testimony, while the collective’s wider cast gives the project a borderless character that feels particularly relevant to a song about divisions created between people.

‘Hatred?’ is effective because it doesn't compete with the noise of war. It speaks beneath it, asking us to recognise the human voice that remains audible on both sides. Baldy Crawlers understand that protest doesn't always need to shout. Sometimes its most difficult act is refusing to stop seeing the person you have been told to despise.