In a world full of bold claims to the word, Utah’s 3hattrio are one of few contemporary bands who can truly be labeled as “unique”. For Hal Cannon, Greg Istok, and Eli Wrankle, their innovations of folk music drive it towards realms of Auto-Tune and psychedelia—not two descriptors you often associate with the genre, and not two that would be positively well-received upfront either. However, in this instance, it works. Perhaps it is by the passion that the trio so clearly incorporates into each piece of the fabric that makes up these compositions that it does, with their inspiration drawn from the Southwest desert landscapes that they’ve grown up with.
Their minimalist approach to these newfound folk innovations serves their purpose, too. Diligently crafted with utmost care, 3hattrio craft a soft-spoken, benevolent blend of electronic and acoustic sound that could not be any more different than the billowing drone of EDM. This much can be both seen and heard with the gorgeous audio-visual experience that they have developed for their song, “Faith”.
“Faith is a recurring theme in the 3hattrio’s latest album, LORD OF THE DESERT,” Cannon tells PopMatters. “In the song ‘Faith’, Greg Istock sings, ‘You wanna just think, that the good times will just never end. You wanna have faith, that it’s all is comin’ round again. But you can’t believe that the life of the party has passed. Just like that, so fast, so fast.’ And it is just like that when vital people in our lives leave us. Does it help with our own faith? We wish it did.”
LORD OF THE DESERT released on 23 February. It is available to purchase via Bandcamp.