[📷 Michael Lavine]
Today marks the long-awaited return of Washington, D.C.’s mighty Ex Hex! The power trio’s forthcoming second album It’s Real is very real, and we can’t wait for you to hear it on March 22. Pre-order it today on CD, LP, and magenta and blue “rainbow shiner” vinyl in the Merge store, or wherever records are sold.
In addition to this excellent news and the slew of North American tour dates listed below, Ex Hex are sharing lead single “Cosmic Cave,” 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. Check it out alongside a new interview on The Fader or below; maximum volume, please:
When Ex Hex 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 (guitar, vocals), Betsy Wright (bass, vocals), and Laura Harris (drums), the group’s 2014 debut Rips 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 & Jop critics poll. Near-constant touring 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 It’s Real, Ex Hex’s commitment to larger-than-life riffs and unforgettable hooks remains intact, but the garage-y, post-punk approach that defined Rips has grown in scale and ambition. What started as a reaction to the blown-out aesthetic of Rips 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. On first listen, you might think you’ve unearthed a long-lost LP carved from the space where crunch-minded art rock and glitter-covered hard rock converge, an event horizon at the intersection of towering choruses and swaggering guitars.
Grab tickets for Ex Hex’s North American tour and UK shows when they go on sale this Friday at 10am local time, pre-order It’s Real, and get ready to rock out a whole lot in 2019!
Ex Hex on tour:
Apr 02 Richmond, VA – Richmond Music Hall*
Apr 03 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer*
Apr 04 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom*
Apr 05 Portsmouth, NH – The Press Room*
Apr 06 Montreal, QC – l’Escogriffe*
Apr 07 Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern*
Apr 09 Ferndale, MI – Loving Touch*
Apr 10 Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall*
Apr 11 Madison, WI – High Noon*
Apr 12 Minneapolis, MN – Turf Club*
Apr 13 Omaha, NE – Reverb*
Apr 15 Denver, CO – Bluebird Theatre*
Apr 17 Boise, ID – Neurolux^
Apr 18 Portland, OR – Aladdin^
Apr 19 Vancouver, BC – Biltmore^
Apr 20 Seattle, WA – Crocodile^
Apr 23 San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall^
Apr 24 Fresno, CA – Strummer’s^
Apr 25 Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom^
Apr 26 Tustin, CA – Marty’s on Newport^
Apr 27 Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge^
Apr 28 Tucson, AZ – Club Congress^
Apr 30 Austin, TX – Barracuda^
May 01 Dallas, TX – Curtain Club^
May 03 Nashville, TN – Exit/In^
May 04 Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle^
May 05 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle&
May 09 Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere
May 10 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club%
May 24 Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social
May 25 Manchester, UK – Deaf Institute
May 27 Bristol, UK – The Exchange
May 28 London, UK – Village Underground
* w/ Moaning
^ w/ Feels
% w/ The Messthetics
& w/ Japanese Breakfast
Apr 02 Richmond, VA – Richmond Music Hall*
Apr 03 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer*
Apr 04 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom*
Apr 05 Portsmouth, NH – The Press Room*
Apr 06 Montreal, QC – l’Escogriffe*
Apr 07 Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern*
Apr 09 Ferndale, MI – Loving Touch*
Apr 10 Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall*
Apr 11 Madison, WI – High Noon*
Apr 12 Minneapolis, MN – Turf Club*
Apr 13 Omaha, NE – Reverb*
Apr 15 Denver, CO – Bluebird Theatre*
Apr 17 Boise, ID – Neurolux^
Apr 18 Portland, OR – Aladdin^
Apr 19 Vancouver, BC – Biltmore^
Apr 20 Seattle, WA – Crocodile^
Apr 23 San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall^
Apr 24 Fresno, CA – Strummer’s^
Apr 25 Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom^
Apr 26 Tustin, CA – Marty’s on Newport^
Apr 27 Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge^
Apr 28 Tucson, AZ – Club Congress^
Apr 30 Austin, TX – Barracuda^
May 01 Dallas, TX – Curtain Club^
May 03 Nashville, TN – Exit/In^
May 04 Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle^
May 05 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle&
May 09 Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere
May 10 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club%
May 24 Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social
May 25 Manchester, UK – Deaf Institute
May 27 Bristol, UK – The Exchange
May 28 London, UK – Village Underground
* w/ Moaning
^ w/ Feels
% w/ The Messthetics
& w/ Japanese Breakfast
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