Hakan turn Kraków’s football-ultra culture into frantic new single ‘My New Team’

Bergamo punk trio Hakan are back with ‘My New Team’, a fast, hook-heavy blast inspired by boozy nights in Kraków and an unexpected encounter with the world of football ultras. The track is the first single from the band’s fifth album, due December 2026.

Somewhere between punk, power pop and garage, Hakan have built their reputation on short, sharp songs that hit hard and don’t hang around. ‘My New Team’ sticks to that formula, pairing breakneck energy with a story involving local football loyalty, a sacred-seeming team scarf and the kind of hazy nightlife memories that may or may not have happened exactly as remembered.

The inspiration came from years of visits to Kraków, where one local friend introduced the band to the intense world of ultras — hardcore supporters whose devotion to their teams runs deep. Despite not being a football fan themselves, the ritual of being handed a scarf as if it were a relic proved too good a story to leave unwritten.

Formed in Bergamo in 2014, Hakan — Andrea Carminati, Andrea Facheris and Marco Facheris — have spent years taking their scrappy, high-speed sound across Europe, the US, Canada and Turkey. With all three members contributing vocals and songwriting, the band’s records have a restless, collective feel, drawing on the raw immediacy of punk and garage without losing sight of a killer chorus.

The new album sees Hakan push beyond their usual recording approach, too. Previous releases were largely captured live in the room; this time, the trio slowed things down to focus on detail and sound, working with producer Sandro Specchia of Deaf Lingo. They’ll hit the road with Deaf Lingo for a run of shows across Germany and France this December.

‘My New Team’ is out now, with the fifth album arriving in December via Mom’s Basement Records, Shield Recordings, Take The City Records and Rockstar Records.

1. ‘My New Team’ is the first taste of your fifth album, and it was also the first song you wrote for the record. What made this track feel like the right way to introduce the next chapter of Hakan?

It’s definitely a very direct and catchy track, right in line with our previous stuff. Maybe we also picked it because it gave us a certain confidence, having played it live quite a few times already.

2. The song takes inspiration from nights in Kraków and the world of football ultras. What drew you to that particular environment, and how did those experiences find their way into the lyrics?

My partner is Polish, from Kraków, so I’ve been spending my holidays there for many years now. I know the city well and over time I’ve made friends with a few locals. One of them introduced me to the wild and fascinating world of football ultras. Even though I’m not really a football fan, let alone into fan groups, the sheer devotion with which he gave me his team’s scarf, almost like it was a sacred relic, really fascinated me, so I decided to write a song about it. Of course, the whole thing is seasoned with a good dose of alcohol and hazy memories, so none of this might have actually happened!

3. Hakan sits somewhere between punk, power pop and garage, with everything delivered at breakneck speed. What is it about keeping things short, fast and immediate that continues to appeal to you?

We’ve always been huge fans of punk and garage, even if those aren’t the only influences pouring into our music. The way we play reflects our sense of urgency toward the world and our whole attitude to life. Or maybe just the realization that we’re not so young anymore and were born and raised in the wrong eras anyway. Either way, the record will definitely bring some surprises in terms of songwriting, we tried to step out of our comfort zone a bit this time.

https://youtu.be/t_XtJh2fcPc?si=2cyPDuAfc1nlQgVb

4. You formed the band in Bergamo back in 2014 and have since taken Hakan across Europe, the US, Canada and Turkey. How has being in the band for more than a decade changed the way you approach writing, recording and playing live?

This year marks 12 years of Hakan, but the three of us have actually been playing together for a solid 22 years across previous bands. Our songwriting process has stayed pretty much the same: whoever sings is the one who wrote the song. The first record was more of a collaborative mix among the three of us, but then we realized it works much better when each of us takes care of their own tracks from start to finish. Songwriting-wise, it’s almost like we’re three bands in one, which I think is a great thing because it gives the whole project a lot of variety.

5. With the fifth album arriving in December, what can you tell us about where Hakan are heading next? Is there anything on the new record that might surprise people who think they already know what the band sounds like?

This record definitely brings a fresh touch to our sound. All our previous works were recorded live in the room, basically a live-in-studio session with a few overdubs, whereas this time we decided to take things a bit slower, pay more attention to the details, and tweak a few things sound-wise. We had it produced by our great friend Sandro Specchia from Deaf Lingo, a band we’ll be hitting the road with for a tour through Germany and France this coming December. Sandro definitely helped us broaden our sonic horizons, shout out to him!