The name Ex Hex has been floating around the interwebs and the noisy guitar world lately, but it’s not until now that the trio has finally announced their first full length, Rips. Taken at face value, the group’s main draw is lead singer and guitarist Mary Timony, of Wild Flag and Helium fame (the band itself shares its name with Timony’s 2005 solo album). However, Rips‘ first single, “Don’t Wanna Lose”, is proof enough that Ex Hex transcends Timony’s name recognition alone.
The song works its way somewhere in between classic rock flair and pop-punk attitude, with nostalgically crunchy guitars and driving drums—the sort of sound you think you’re going to get when you set your 15 watt Line 6 amp to the “Crunch” setting. “Don’t Wanna Lose” rattles along as Timony throws out earworm after earworm (which is a disturbing image in itself). During the song’s refrain, she admits, “I don’t wanna lose your love/It’s in my head, it’s just a question of/If you’re gonna start messing around/You better hurry up to go let me down.” It’s a fitting combination of transparency and sarcasm, a declaration of confidence in the face of some about-to-be ex-darling who won’t stay faithful. As a first single, “Don’t Wanna Lose” is a promising and exciting preview of Rips, and all the music to come from Ex Hex.
Ex Hex will also be embarking on a tour of North America, which begins next week in New York City at the Museum of Modern Art. Check out the tour dates beneath the embed.
Rips is due October 7 via Merge Records.
Ex Hex North American Tour:
July:
17 New York, NY – Museum of Modern Art
18 Toronto, Ontario – The Garrison
19 Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge ^#
20 Bloomington, IN – The Bishop
23 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s *
24 Washington, DC – Rock & Roll Hotel *
26 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
27 Charlottesville, VA – The Southern *
September:
27 Cincinnati, OH – MidPoint Music Festival
28 Urbana-Champaign, IL – The Pygmalion Festival
October:
05 Washington, DC – Black Cat #
07 Louisville, KY – Zanzabar #
09 Denver, CO – Hi-Dive #
10 Albuquerque, NM – Sister #
11 Phoenix, AZ – Yucca Tap Room #
12 Los Angeles, CA – The Echo #
14 San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop
16 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios #
17 Vancouver, British Columbia – Electric Owl #
18 Seattle, WA – Barboza #
23 Fargo, ND – The Aquarium #
24 Minneapolis, MN – 7th St Entry #
26 Detroit, MI – PJ’s Lager House #
28 Montreal, Quebec – Il Motore #
29 Burlington, VT – Monkey House #
30 Boston, MA – Great Scott #
31 Hamden, CT – The Space
November:
01 Brooklyn, NY – Glasslands #
02 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge #
05 Baltimore, MD – Ottobar #
06 Richmond, VA – Strange Matter #
^ with Dum Dum Girls
# with Speedy Ortiz
* with Hospitality
