HAVVK and Jess Kav Release Single in Support of MASI

Earlier today, indie rockers HAVVK and R&B singer Jess Kav released ‘Always the Same,’ a single in support of the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland.

Best known as the singer of the alt-R&B band BARQ, Jess Kav has also worked as a session vocalist for Hozier, Kodaline and many other artists. HAVVK is an up-and-coming Irish indie-grunge band based in Berlin.

Sparkly and hypnotic, ‘Always the Same’ marks new territory for both artists. The track is a reimagined version of a distorted, percussion-driven song from HAVVK’s first full-length album, Cause & Effect.

Jess Kav slowed the track down, contributing high, delicate vocals to its lightened acoustic mix. She also supplied a picture of her mother, Liz Kavanaugh, which appears on the track’s cover art.

The two artists will donate the proceeds of their collaboration to the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland.

MASI advocates against deportation and direct provision—a system for accommodating asylum seekers which many say subjects them to inhumane conditions, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps Ireland.

By way of calling for action, HAVVK and Jess Kav released their collaboration with a quotation from Desmond Tutu: “if you are neutral in situations of injustice you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

HAVVK also released a limited run of ‘Can I Push Back’ merchandise, the proceeds of which will further support MASI. In a Facebook post, they said they imagined the merchandise as “a wearable form of activism.”

Check out ‘Always the Same’ on Bandcamp below.

Always the Same ft. Jess Kav by HAVVK ft. Jess Kav