Left to right: Matthías, Einar, Klemens
"Hatari is a multimedia project that aims to reveal the relentless scam that we call everyday life."
— Klemens Hannigan
Hatari is an Icelandic hardcore techno band established in 2015 consisting of Klemens Hannigan, Matthías Haraldsson, and Einar Stefánsson.
A self-described "anti-capitalist BDSM techno performance art group" aiming to put an end to capitalism, Hatari is best known for representing Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019, with the song "Hatrið mun sigra" note , fighting off steep competition from former Icelandic entrants Friðrik Ómar (2008) and Hera Björk (2010) in the Söngvakeppnin selection format. "Hatrið mun sigra" has the distinction of being the country's first song sung entirely in Icelandic since "Ég Á Líf" in 2013, and one of the only songs sung in Icelandic since Eurovision's revised language policy went into effect in the mid-90s.
After Eurovision, Hatari embarked on a tour across Europe for the rest of 2019, and in January 2020 released a full-length debut album, Neyslutrans.
Definitely not to be confused with the Howard Hawks/John Wayne 1962 film of the same name.
Discography
- Neysluvara EP (2015)
- Neyslutrans (2020)
- Neyslutrans RemiXed (2021)
Music videos
- "X"
- "Ódýr"
- "Spillingardans"
- "Hatrið mun sigra"
- "Klefi/Samed (صامد)" (with Bashar Murad)
- "Klámstrákur"
- "Engin Miskunn"
Neyslutropes
- Album Title Drop: Neyslutrans in "Spillingardans".
- Altum Videtur: Two tracks in Neyslutrans have Latin titles: "Nunquam Iterum" and the instrumental "Spectavisti Me Mori".
- And Show It to You: The entirety of the "X" video is basically a kaleidoscope of organs and other things, topped off with a hand ripping a heart(?!) at the end.
- At Least I Admit It: Matthías gave us this gem in an interview:Well, it's hard to be anti-anything if you are immersed in it from birth. You can't really be anti-capitalist without being a Hypocrite...
- Band of Relatives: Matthías and Klemens are first cousins. Einar is married to Sólbjört Sigurðardóttir, one of the band's accompanying dancers.
- Blunt Metaphors Trauma: Once the cousins were interviewed about being thrown under a bus. Matthías then nonchalantly recounted the time Klemens actually got hit by a car.
- Careful with That Axe: Matthías screams like this midway through "Ódýr".
- Defiled Forever: “Klámstrákur” is a Rare Male Example.
- Demoted to Extra: Klemens's vocals don't appear in "Klefi/Samed" due to Bashar Murad taking over the choruses. Klemens spends the music video dancing in the desert and not doing much else.
- Despair Event Horizon: "Ógleði" and its visceral lyrics reek of this trope.
- Europeans Are Kinky: Their performances are what could only be described at a BDSM nightmare. The "Spillingardans" video especially takes the cake for being their most explicit display.
- Freaky Fashion, Mild Mind: Despite Matthías screaming like the banshees are after him on stage and their general BDSM aesthetic and hellish stage show, they're very nice and eloquent in interviews.
- Gaslighting: The lyrics to “14 Ár” are all about toxic relationships and this trope in a general sense, with Matthías in the receiving end and Klemens playing the abuser pleading the victim to stay.
- Genre-Busting: Hatari's music has been described as "art-pop punk", "industrial goth", EBM, among others.
- Heel–Face Door-Slam: An apocalyptic one in "Engin miskunn".
- Malevolent Masked Men: Einar is often seen wearing a spiky mask and sometimes black contact lenses. The effect is enhanced by him being able to not blink while staring into the camera for what seems like minutes, as well as never saying a word in interviews when masked. In line with the BDSM theme, some of their dancers sometimes follow suit.
- Mr. Fanservice: All three of them just by virtue of being quite handsome lads alone. Taken to egregious levels particularly when Klemens and Matthías are clad in nothing but fetish gear.
- Multilingual Song: "Klefi/Samed" features Palestinian singer Bashar Murad singing in Arabic, interspersed with Matthías grunting his verses in Icelandic.
- Never Got to Say Goodbye: "Niðurlút".
- Obligatory Bondage Song: "Þræll" is this with the much-added bonus of Klemens being the only voice you hear in the song.
- Precision F-Strike: "Spillingardans" drops one in the line kapitalistar andskotans. "Klámstrákur" has quite a few bombs apart from the title. Similarly just the mention of the word "Helvíti".
- Protest Song: While it may seem counterintuitive to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest with a song titled "Hatrið mun sigra" ("Hate will prevail"), with such lyrical gems as "Europe will crumble" , "Love will die" and "The emptiness will get us all", performed with copious amounts of screaming from Matthias and a hellish stage performance, Hatari have repeatedly expressed in interviews that the song is meant as a wake up call. In the face of rising political tensions, social dissatisfaction and fear-mongering, the song is meant to show that unless people remember to love and respect each other, hatred will come out on top as the dominant emotion and destroy everything.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: "Ódýr", "Hatrið mun sigra" (their Eurovision performances of the latter screamed this), and recently "Klámstrákur".
- Refuge in Audacity: Everything about their Eurovision participation. Even before they showed up in Israel in their trademark BDSM outfits, they uploaded a video in which they challenge Benjamin Netanyahu to a friendly match of Icelandic trouser wrestling. During the event proper, Hatari, despite the Eurovision rules forbidding political statements, constantly engaged in them until they were officially warned, after which they began to refuse to make any statement, including Matthías refusing to comment on their ability to party and enjoy themselves "for political reasons". During one pre-party, they showed up in garish eighties costumes just because they could. During the first semi-final, instead of holding their country's flag into the camera, as is custom for Eurovision, Hatari were waving their own company's, Relentless Scam Inc., flag, as well as the rainbow and transgender pride flags. And during the points announcement at the final show, they, upon finally being shown on TV while in the Green Room, swiftly unveiled several Palestinian banners. And that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Hatari's escapades.
- Self-Empowerment Anthem: Bashar Murad in "Klefi/Samed" sings of enduring and overcoming years of war-born suffering to stand healed, elevated, steadfast, unbowed before his torturers, unwilling to be erased. A striking contrast to Matthías' gloom-and-doom lines that sound like Adolf Hitler discovered how to Metal Scream.
- Singer Name Drop: "Dansið eða deyið" opens with "We are Hatari! We are all Hatari!"
- Soprano and Gravel:
- Respectively, Klemens and Matthías. The latter's Harsh Vocals tend to be featured more often in their songs, with the former's soothing high tenor either in the background or dominating the choruses.
- Downplayed in "Klefi/Samed". Bashar Murad is more of a lyrical tenor, but he still fits the trope thanks to the contrast with Matthías.
- Three Minutes of Writhing: Klemens loves to do this, whether with backup dancers in "Hatrið mun sigra" or on a pole in "Klámstrákur". Also noteworthy is "Klefi/Samed" for Klemens having nothing to do but dance in the desert.
- Tragic AIDS Story: “Klámstrákur” is from the perspective of a suffering porn boy who only attracts disgust and confusion from others to add to his plight:All of me trembles and shivers more and more and more
I get weaker and weaker
I cough and cough up more
These doctors don’t know what they’re saying
Do I have to prove that I’m dying? - Trrrilling Rrrs: Expected since the Icelandic R is trilled. Klemens exaggerates this in "Ógleði".
- Troll: Though it hasn't been outright stated by anyone affiliated with the band, Hatari certainly seems to be somewhat satirical in nature. They "announced" their split in December 2018, citing their inability to end capitalism as the main reason, only for their participation as prospective Eurovision hopefuls to be revealed a month later. Around the time of the Söngvakeppnin 2019 final, they also unveiled their own soft drink brand, which would seem otherwise antithetical to their stated anti-capitalist goals. Additionally, they established their own company called "Relentless Scam Incorporated" (Svikamylla Ehf.), stating that any purchase of their products does not guarantee to further the revolution or the end of the world.
- Verbal Tic: Matthías loves to drop a "höh" or two on any given song in the band's discography, including at the start of "Hatrið mun sigra," and more than a few times on "Klefi/Samed."
- Why did I trope myself so cheap?
