Bat for Lashes Shares New Sexwitch Track "Ha Howa Ha Howa"

Bat for Lashes‘ Natasha Khan has a new project called Sexwitch. Today, after sharing “Helelyos” last month, Khan has released another new track from the forthcoming record. In keeping with the rest of the album, which comprises covers of international psych and folk songs from the 1970s, “Ha Howa Ha Howa” is based on a Moroccan track sung by Cheikha Hanna Ouakki. Listen to the Sexwitch version below.

Speaking about the song in our interview about Sexwitch, Khan said:

“Ha Howa Ha Howa”, the “he addicted me” song—the girl that originally sang that [Cheikha Hanna Ouakki] was really young, 15, 16. She traveled around these mountain villages and became this vagabond singer. She’s the one that sounded so street, so contemporary. I loved her spirit, I felt her freedom in the way she was singing it. So it’s really nice to shine a light on that time in those countries where there was liberation. They feel the same things we do, it’s just blanketed in our impression of oppressive regimes. I think deep down, we’re all from the same place. People now can enjoy this kind of music next to contemporary psychedelic music. I think it’s really important to feel free, and to be free to express everyone’s humanity, the things that link us, that we’re all just falling in love with people or running away.

Sexwitch comes out September 25. It’s a collaboration between Khan, producer Dan Carey, and Toy.

Revisit our Cover Story on Bat for Lashes, “Glitter in the Dark“.

Watch Khan discuss her last album with Pitchfork.tv:

Comments are closed.