RATING: 9/10 – TOP TRASH
Well folks, it’s finally here. After “Cement Tomb Mind Control,” one of the best albums of last year, Midwest favorites The Hussy are back – and not only do they avoid the sophomore slump, they’ll probably end up as one of the best albums of THIS year, too. The LP is 14 tracks of fire, whittled down from 35. They’ve moved into some territory that’s definitely a little more psychedelic, away from the more straight forward garage-punk sound of Cement Tomb. The thrashing, surging crash is still there, especially on tracks like “SFB,” but the record opens up in a more subdued tone, with the grinding “Undefined,” which cruises along on a slow, steady beat and a guitar line which really reminds me of punk weirdos WHATEVER BRAINS, who put out one of the other best albums of last year.
The Hussy have expanded their musical palette in a really great way for this one. Though the basic elements are still there, they’re deployed in what sounds like a far more careful, artistic way, in contrast to the 500 miles an hour whirl of CTMC. There’s a really strong influence of THEE OH SEES, especially on tracks like “Feeling Dry” which could fit in comfortably on any of that band’s 12 billion releases. There’s a whole lot going on here, and it really does demand a few listens to get a sense of it all.
The record is mostly split between two types of songs: white-hot, stomping Bobby-led guitar workouts, and shuffling, catchy Heather-led songs. Both are great, but they come together on “I Don’t Really Want To,” which is without doubt the standout track here – a 1:27 minute rager which channels “Heavy Days” era JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD in a fucking incredible way. I have but one complaint about this song, which extends to the rest of the record: the songs on here are so short, they seem underdeveloped at times – there’s so many great things going on, I really wish the band had given them a chance to develop. But that’s like complaining about needing to find a parking space after being given a free Maserati or something.
Calling any moment a highlight is difficult, though – the Hussy are firing on all cylinders here. “Dog Said Yeah” is a good example of their whole game – not punk, not garage, it’s straight-up rock and roll. This one goes into the tense, yet appropriately named “Harsh My High,” which reveals another strand of Weed Seizure’s DNA: the BUTTHOLE SURFERS. The playing on this record is really, really tight, man, but it’s not without it’s loose moments, like album closer “The Moon Rules #1,” a seriously slow, stoned noisy jam which reminds me of No Age, except it’s not boring.
It’s hard to summarize this record – all the bands I’ve namechecked are reference points, but the Hussy are mostly in their own galaxy at this point. Though there’s elements of different sounds here, The Hussy are a great up-and-coming band who capture very well the sonic landscape of modern garage/punk/whatever, but succeed very well in creating a record that’s utterly their own. Seriously, buy this now, or pay out the nose for it later – this won’t be leaving anybody’s collection any time soon.
LISTEN: http://thehussy.bandcamp.com/
BUY at Tic Tac Totally
[wax trash] 