Acclaimed Mongolian rock band The HU released a new single called “This Is Mongol” ahead of their second official studio album set for release later this summer via Better Noise Music. With “This Is Mongol,” as with all of their music, The HU connects the world to Mongolian culture and its unique core values of natural preservation and spiritual connection with the earth. These core values are on full display in the new, epic official video for “This is Mongol,” also released today. The deeply meaningful lyrics uplift the Mongol people, as the band wishes for prosperity and peace among all. Previously debuting at #1 on the World Album and Top New Artist charts with their 2019 debut album The Gereg, the band is excited to start dropping new music for fans. Currently on their Black Thunder Tour this spring, The HU also recently played at Coachella, earning an array of critical acclaim. They will also join Five Finger Death Punch and Megadeth on tour later this summer. Full list of dates below. To stream, download and catch the stunning video for “This Is Mongol,” click HERE.

Speaking about the video, singer and tumur hhuur player Jaya said, “We shot in the Mojave Desert, Nevada and the environment reminded us of Gobi Desert in Mongolia. We enjoyed shooting the video, which happened during our tour and gave us a little break to reminisce about home. The song perfectly matched the environment we made the video in. It was one of the best memories we created as a band and it was special because our producer Dashka was with us to oversee the whole process.”

Enkush, who also sings and plays the morin khuur, shared his thoughts on their tour dates with Five Finger Death Punch and Megadeth, “We grew up listening to Megadeth and can’t express how much they have inspired and motivated us to do what we love every day, so you can only imagine our excitement for our next tour with them. Everybody knows Megadeth is one of the four biggest trailblazers in thrash metal and to be performing with a modern band such as FFDP is truly going to be legendary. Although it will be our first time performing with them, we will bring our A-game on this tour.”

Thrilled to be sharing more of their Mongolian roots, producer Dashka said, “Creating this song meant so much to me. We are announcing our arrival through music and specifically through this song. In these uncertain times, I hope we are bringing positivity, empowerment and strength to fight for better days.”  

In celebration of their new single and upcoming album, The HU also released an official music video directed by John Connor Hammond. The visual is set in the Mojave Desert and showcases the band energetically performing their inspiring new single “This Is Mongol.” 

Over the last several months, the band has been recording new material in their homeland of Mongolia and shared an update from the studio with fans on their YouTube channel HERE. While on their current headlining tour, the band has been teasing the new music from their much-awaited sophomore album, out late this summer. The tour continues tonight, May 13, in Portland, ME and will see the band journey across the southern U.S. throughout May 29 landing in Dallas, TX before ending in Mexico City, MX on May 31. For more information on The Black Thunder Tour, visit https://www.thehuofficial.com/tour-1.

On the morin khuur and serving as a vocalist, Gala talked about their recording process, “Our second album was recorded during Covid lockdown, where we used the time to put our best effort and astounding amount of energy to focus on the work. Therefore, it is our hope to present our listeners with unique songs that have their own characteristics.”

Temka, who plays the tovshurr and sings background vocals, also spoke about their upcoming album, “The new album has great quality, composition, melody and overall it is sensational. The lyrics that Dashka wrote consist of our traditional values, virtues and wisdom of our ancestors. Our fans can expect to hear and feel the messages we try to deliver through our songs, such as love and respect for parental love, the importance of sustainability and cultural heritage. We can’t wait for our fans to listen and enjoy our second album and are excited to be performing for fans whom we have yet to meet. We will see you very soon and send our regards to our fans all over the world!”

Soon after, The HU will continue their trek across North America, as they head out on tour with Megadeth, Five Finger Death Punch, and Fire From The Gods. The tour, presented by Live Nation, will kick off in Portland, Oregon on August 19th and span over 30 dates, closing out on October 15 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Concertgoers are  promised an intense multi-faceted night of heavy rock music. Tickets are on sale now HERE.

Most recently, the band headlined a tour last fall through North America after joining Halestorm’s headlining tour, reuniting with frontwoman Lzzy Hale, their special guest on “Song of Women” from their #1-charting debut album Gereg. In addition to those tours, The HU also performed a slew of high-profile festival dates including Austin City Limits, Outside Lands, Rocklahoma, Inkcarceration and more. Those dates coincided with The HU’s appearance on Metallica’s Special 30th Anniversary ‘Black Album’ Reissue Covers Project, for which they covered the legendary band’s “Through the Never.” They appeared on the track listing alongside some of the biggest names in music – Elton John, Miley Cyrus, Yo-Yo Ma, St. Vincent, Phoebe Bridgers, J Balvin with the Neptunes, Weezer, and many more – who offered their own renditions of Metallica’s songs that originally appeared on the iconic LP. 

The band is excited to share more news on new music and further touring in the coming weeks on their social media channels and encourage everyone to give them a follow so they don’t miss out on anything: Website, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok.

The HU Upcoming Tour Dates:

May 13 – Portland, ME – State Theater
May 14 – Albany, NY – Empire Live
May 16 – Washington, DC – Warner Theater
May 17 – Norfolk, VA – The NorVa
May 19 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore
May 20 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
May 21 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm
May 22 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome to Rockville
May 25 – Birmingham, AL – Iron City
May 26 – Little Rock, AR – Little Rock Music Hall
May 27 – Oklahoma City, OK – Tower Theater
May 28 – The Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (Buzzfest)
May 29 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
May 31 – Mexico City, MEX – Lunario
Aug 19 – Portland, OR – RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
Aug 20 – Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheater
Aug 23 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheater
Aug 24 – Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheater
Aug 26 – Phoenix, AZ – Ak-Chin Pavilion
Aug 27 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
Aug 30 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
Sep 1 – Del Valle, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
Sep 2 – Houston, TX –The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
Sep 6 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
Sep 7 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
Sep 9 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
Sep 10 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
Sep 12 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Sep 14 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
Sep 15 – Camden, NJ – Waterfront Music Pavilion
Sep 17 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater
Sep 18 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
Sep 20 – Syracuse, NY – St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
Sep 21 – Pittsburgh, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake**
Sep 23 – Scranton, PA – Pavilion at Montage Mountain
Sep 24 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium
Sep 27 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater**
Sep 28 –Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
Sep 30 – Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
Oct 1 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
Oct 4 – Cleveland, OH – Blossom Music Center
Oct 5 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
Oct 7 – Milwaukee, WI – American Family Insurance Amphitheater – Summerfest Grounds
Oct 8 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
Oct 10 – Atlanta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Oct 12 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
Oct 14 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Oct 15 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheater
**5FDP, The HU, and Fire From The Gods only

See full list of the band’s upcoming live shows and ticket information at https://www.thehuofficial.com/tour-1. 

Critically celebrated Mongolian rock band THE HU is set to head out on tour this spring. Today, they announced their “Black Thunder Tour” with a series of headlining dates, beginning in San Diego, CA on April 16 and ending in Mexico City, MX on May 31. The tour, which the band talks about in a new Q&A below, will continue the live music celebrations that the band is set to kick off during their Coachella sets on Friday, April 15 for the first weekend of the musical festival and on Friday, April 22 for the second.  Fans will be able to purchase tickets for the tour starting tomorrow, Wednesday February 16, for the fan presale, Thursday, February 17, for the local presale, and Friday, February 18 for the general on sale. All ticket sale times begin at 10AM local time. For more information on “The Black Thunder Tour,” visit https://www.thehuofficial.com/tour-1.

The tour will continue to tease new music from THE HU’s highly anticipated sophomore album, due later this year from Better Noise Music. The album was recorded in their homeland of Mongolia over the last several months, during which, the group gave an update from the studio to fans via their YouTube channel HERE. Fans can also expect special previews of the project with live performances of new songs that the group originally premiered on their North American 2021 tour. See a new Q&A with THE HU discussing the album and touring below.

This past fall, THE HU headlined a tour through North America after joining Halestorm’s headlining tour, where they reunited with frontwoman Lzzy Hale, their special guest on “Song of Women” from their #1-charting debut album THE GEREG. In addition to those tours, THE HU also performed a slew of high-profile festival dates including Austin City Limits, Outside Lands, Rocklahoma, Inkcarceration and more, with the Austin-American Statesman giving a rave review for their ACL set, writing, “File this one under noise you didn’t think you needed. The eight-piece Mongolian band the Hu plays its guitars with bows and man buns, with backing “whoa” chants and punishing drums…It’s music built on tradition with an eye on the past.”

Those dates coincided with THE HU’s appearance on Metallica’s Special 30th Anniversary ‘Black Album’ Reissue Covers Project, for which they covered the legendary band’s “Through the Never.” They appeared on the track listing alongside some of the biggest names in music – Elton John, Miley Cyrus, Yo-Yo Ma, St. Vincent, Phoebe Bridgers, J Balvin with the Neptunes, Weezer, and many more – who offered their own renditions of Metallica’s songs that originally appeared on the iconic LP.

The band is excited to share more news on new music and further touring in the coming weeks on their social media channels and encourage everyone to give them a follow so they don’t miss out on anything: Website, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok

The HU Headlining Tour Dates:
April 15 – Indio, CA – Coachella
April 16 – San Diego, CA – Humphreys by the Bay
April 17 – Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl
April 19 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
April 21 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
April 22 – Indio, CA – Coachella
April 23 – Monterey, CA – Golden State Theatre
April 25 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
April 26 – Bend, OR – Midtown Ballroom
April 28 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
April 29 – Missoula, MT – The Wilma
April 30 – Bozeman, MT – The ELM
May 02 – Fargo, ND – Sanctuary Events Center
May 03 – Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre
May 04 – Kansas City, MO – The Truman
May 06 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrews Hall
May 07 – Bloomington, IL – Castle Theatre
May 08 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
May 09 – Nashville, TN – Cannery Ballroom
May 11 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom
May 13 – Portland, ME – State Theatre
May 14 – Albany, NY – Empire Live
May 16 – Washington, DC – Warner Theatre
May 17 – Norfolk, VA – The NorVa
May 19 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore
May 20 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
May 21 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm
May 22 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome to Rockville
May 25 – Birmingham, AL – Iron City
May 26 – Little Rock, AR – Little Rock Music Hall
May 27 – Oklahoma City, OK – Tower Theatre
May 28 – The Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (Buzzfest)
May 29 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion (BFD 22)
May 31 – Mexico City, MEX – Lunario

See full list of the band’s upcoming live shows and ticket information at https://www.thehuofficial.com/tour-1

Q&A WITH THE HU

–Can you tell us which songs from the upcoming album will be performed on the “Black Thunder” tour, why you’re excited to play them and how they represent a new chapter for THE HU?

THE HU: For the “Black Thunder” tour, we’re excited to be performing songs from our new album including “Mother Nature,” “Tatar Warrior” and “ShihiHutu.” We have been working hard on our second album and hope to have it ready soon. It will be focused on showing the unique qualities of the Hunnu Rock genre and consists of many new songs that reinforce the different aspects of it. So far we’ve been getting positive response from our fans and we can’t wait to perform all of our new songs for them.

–What inspired you to call the tour “Black Thunder”?

THE HU: We originated in Mongolia and through our music we try to make our fans feel the freedom and energy of the spirit of our vast land and high mountains. Likewise, the “Black Thunder” name is inspired by the unique scenery that can only be seen in Mongolia in which the thunder rumbles right before the rain in the high mountains, the number of clouds in the sky and the force of the lightning are heard, and seen many, many miles away We tried to communicate the energy and feeling you would get experiencing that and hence we named the tour “Black Thunder.”

–A Coachella performance is a prestigious booking since the festival has always stood for musical integrity. Can you discuss what it feels like to be performing at Coachella for the first time in your career? Are there any other artists you’re excited to see performing on the day you play?

THE HU: It is such an honor to be part of Coachella. We’re more than thrilled to be included and it has always been our dream to be performing on that stage representing Mongolia for the first time. We feel that it’s a great opportunity to meet with many of our loyal fans and artists that we love. There are so many talented great artists playing on the day we perform and for the rest of the festival, and if we get a chance, we would love to see all of them.

–You’ve performed in many cities in North America. Can you tell us what it’s like to play for audiences here and how they might be different from ones in Europe?

THE HU: We’ve toured many cities and several continents and met with so many awesome people. Every place has its own characteristics that can be felt through their greetings, hand gestures and chants before, during and after the concerts. In that regard, we would say the biggest differences that we can recall would be the amount of people who would sing along and who’ve memorized the lyrics. Each continent has different accents on singing in Mongolian and we love all of our audiences and their uniqueness.

–What is your favorite part about touring North America? Do you guys ever have the time to explore cities on days off (restaurants, museums, etc.) and if so, what has that been like?

THE HU: Our favorite thing about touring in North America is visiting different places and meeting people. Not only do the restaurants and establishments differ, but each one of them has a unique style. On our days off, we’ve had a chance to taste the most amazing barbecue in Texas, Asian fusion mixed with Mexican spices and sushiritto, etc and explore around everywhere we go. Like their cuisine, Americans are always willing to go the extra mile to make people feel welcome and accepted–we’ve had many people guide us through their cities and towns.

Better Noise Music recording artists, The HU have debuted  their ‘hunnu rock’ cover of Metallica’s “Sad But True”, along with a music video.   The track is a unique take on the beloved classic that has over 142 Million streams on Spotify alone.

LISTEN TO “SAD BUT TRUE” HERE https://thehu.ffm.to/sadbuttrue

The HU’s distinct style allows listeners to hear this song in a completely new way. The band added traditional Mongolian instrumentation along with their signature style of throat singing and swapped out “Sad But True”’s English lyrics for their native language, Mongolian. The same distorted guitar melody from the original song helps drive the song forward, but the originality and musical prowess of The HU’s distinguishing sound makes this track stand out on its own.

With this cover, The Hu also launches THE BEST OF BETTER NOISE MUSIC: 15 YEARS OF ROCK series that runs throughout the label’s 15^th year in business – 2021.  The compilation features exciting new versions of songs from their diverse rock catalog. The HU will kick off this campaign, as the band embodies all the label’s hopes for the future of rock – diversity, expert musicianship, passionate performance and clever creative collaboration. 

Excited about the release of the new song, singer and Morin Khuur (horsehead fiddle) player Galbadrakh Tsendbaatar aka “Gala” says, “Like millions of people around the world, Metallica has been a huge influence and inspiration for us as music fans and musicians. We admire their 40 years of relentless touring and the timeless, unique music they have created. It is a great honor to show them our respect and gratitude by recording a version of ‘Sad But True’ in our language and in the style of The Hu.”

Though they’ve raked in well over 100 million views on their YouTube videos and tens of millions more on Spotify, The Hu continues to find new ways of reaching new audiences. From their new cover song, to being on the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order video game and soundtrack, their original sound has carved out a genre that is all their own.  Radio audiences took the band’s 2 singles in 2020 (“Yuve Yuve Yu” featuring Danny Case of From Ashes To New and “Wolf Totem” featuring Jacoby Shaddix) into the Top 5 at the Active Rock format.

Earlier in 2020, The HU released the deluxe version of their 2019 album The Gereg. The Gereg debuted at #1 on the World Album Charts and Top New Artist Albums,  Top 5 Globally in US, Canada, UK and more (Rock Music Albums) and Top 10 Current albums in US, Canada, Australia among other territories.  In addition, they released the documentary film, THE HU: ROAD TO THE GEREGon Youtube which looks back at the making of their debut album, along with behind the scenes footage from their worldwide tours, video shoots, and more.

The band is involved in the film THE RETALIATORS, a high-octane horror-thriller, starring Michael Lombardi (FX’s Rescue Me), Marc Menchaca (Ozark, The Outsider) and Joseph Gatt (Dumbo) with special guest appearances by some of rock music’s biggest names. THE HU‘s Jaya plays a small part in the movie and the band contributed their hit track ‘Wolf Totem’ featuring Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach) to the soundtrack.