{"title":"Ex Hex","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"rips-1","title":"Rips","description":"\u003cp\u003eEx Hex is a power trio hailing from Washington, DC, making the music you've been waiting for. Drums, bass, guitar, P90s, searing leads - this is unapologetic rock 'n' roll spat out in the discipline's mother tongue. With Wild Flag on hiatus, Mary Timony (Autoclave, Helium) needed a new outlet, so she retreated to her basement and started writing. To her surprise, the songs came easily and the hooks practically wrote themselves. Mary found Laura Harris (The Aquarium, Benjy Ferree) and they hit it off immediately. Laura is a monster on drums: intuitive, solid, and just a bit rough around the edges. The pair played together for a couple of months in a tiny carpet-lined practice space shared with half a dozen hardcore bands and what appeared to be the better part of a B.C. Rich Mockingbird. In walked Betsy Wright from the wilds of Virginia. She and Mary have similar tendencies, both defaulting to denim and The Voidoids. Betsy is a performer and an ace piano player, and before long, she was slinging a cherry SG as the third member of Ex Hex. The group played a handful of shows and a couple of months later, in the spring of 2014, headed into the studio. Working furiously, they recorded over the span of two weeks in North Carolina with Mitch Easter (Let's Active) and in the basement of Mary's home with frequent collaborator Jonah Takagi. Bobby Harlow (The Go, Conspiracy of Owls) was tapped to mix because of his unique take on making rock records. What results is 'Ex Hex Rips', twelve songs about underdogs, guys stealing your wallet, schoolyard brawls, and getting bent. The record happens pretty quickly, so don't blink.LP - 150 Gram Vinyl with Download.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"No Label","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50444034441547,"sku":"379193","price":21.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50444034998603,"sku":"379192","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/7ca4f8f7-955a-4864-8995-6d970d8cdcdd_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727023680"},{"product_id":"its-real","title":"Its Real","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhen \u003cstrong\u003eEx Hex\u003c\/strong\u003e exploded onto the scene with their unfettered brand of rock and riffage, the power trio for our generation had finally arrived. Made up of Mary Timony, Betsy Wright, and Laura Harris, the group’s debut \u003cem\u003eRips\u003c\/em\u003e was a gleaming collection of tightly wound gems that scored Best New Music honors from Pitchfork, the top spot on Magnet Magazine’s Best of 2014 list, and No. 11 in that year’s Pazz and Jop critics poll.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTouring throughout 2015 and 2016 established the band as a force to be reckoned with: an audacious three-piece distilling rock music to its essence with formidable skills and a reputation for frenzied and unabashedly fun live shows. On \u003cem\u003eIt’s Real\u003c\/em\u003e, the second album, Ex Hex’s commitment to larger-than-life riffs and unforgettable hooks remains intact, but the garage-y, postpunk approach that defined \u003cem\u003eRips\u003c\/em\u003e has grown in scale and ambition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat started as a reaction to the blown-out aesthetic of \u003cem\u003eRips\u003c\/em\u003e would test the sonic limits of the power trio and lead the band on a quest for a more immersive and three-dimensional sound. Vocal harmonies are layered ten tracks deep, solos shimmer and modulate atop heaving power chords, and the codas linger and stretch toward new frontiers of sound.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eProduced by Jonah Takagi, \u003cem\u003eIt’s Real\u003c\/em\u003e was a more collaborative effort than its predecessor. Mary and Betsy could be found writing late into the night, leaning on Takagi to tighten up arrangements. Egos were surrendered in service to the music: Nothing was sacred or precious, and there was a relentless devotion to both songcraft and exploration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe opening track \"\u003cem\u003eTough Enough\u003c\/em\u003e\" is punky and defiant, with stacked backing vocals posing the question “Are you tough enough (to let it go)?” that’s resoundingly answered in the affirmative by a searing, triumphant guitar solo. \"\u003cem\u003eCosmic Cave\u003c\/em\u003e\" is a bittersweet rave-up with shimmering phased guitars, a gooey candied chorus, and beamed-in “whoa-oh-ohs” that add a touch of melancholia to the frenzied speed-of-sound pace.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe ferocious and anthemic \"\u003cem\u003eRainbow Shiner\u003c\/em\u003e\" is what Wright describes as “a victory song.” Her mordacious central riff is coupled with dueling guitar-god solos that explode from the stereo spectrum. The starlit \"\u003cem\u003eAnother Dimension\u003c\/em\u003e\" has it all: pounding drums, palm-muted humbucking chugs, soaring harmonized vocals, and a stark, ethereal bridge that sends listeners deep into the lush sonic landscape that the band set out to create.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEx Hex\u003c\/strong\u003e were already one of America’s best guitar bands—but on \u003cem\u003eIt’s Real\u003c\/em\u003e, their musical savvy has thrillingly combined with anything-goes curiosity, studio experimentation, and a dedication to refinement, resulting in an album that’s ready to be played at maximum volume. LP - Black Vinyl with Download. LP+ - Limited Magenta and Blue Swirl with Download.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Merge Records","offers":[{"title":"Red | LP","offer_id":50498051473739,"sku":"1054187","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50498050490699,"sku":"1054185","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50498051735883,"sku":"1054186","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/68338be9-3c8c-4020-9a9d-1ca064ef1777_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727738028"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/ex-hex.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}