Doom pop, it’s not a genre you come across often, if ever for that matter. You’d be inclined to muster images of angry, grunting, men wearing lots of black leather offering goat sacrifices on stage. Perhaps a little too much for the more faint hearted punter, but don’t fret, the connoisseurs of the genre are anything but that. Sydney foursome Hunch are best described as playing in the indie-rock arena, but their sense of doom stems from the vibrant post-punk and garage influences that are peppered throughout their debut EP Piss In My Pockets.
Sydney four piece Hunch have crashed their way into the scene with their raw and awesome (rawesome?) debut EP Piss In My Pockets.
This aesthetic is one that is definitely starting to get put to good use by a lot of young bands, much like fellow Sydneysiders Jody, Melburnian stars Darts or even Kiwi kids Moses. There are even hints of Aussie rock mainstays Violent Soho with the brash guitar tones and snarling vocals, whilst the gritty approach and throbbing bass lines may well be from the early Queens of the Stone Age sessions. It’s a simple rock n’ roll six track on the surface, but each track houses a unique, twisted and complex world within it, so let’s dive in.
Closing track Love Ward is as good as any place to start. You may scoff at a review starting at the end of a record, but this closer provides a lot of context for the themes found on Piss In My Pockets. All the dissonance, the angst and personal revelations come to a head in beautifully chaotic fashion. Love Ward is a sprawling five minute maelstrom of self-defeat and desperate pleas. The howling vocals are painted with anguish that drown in a flurry of guitars. It’s a heck of an experience, and it’s good to see the band go out with a bang rather than peter off with a ballad.
Back to the top, title track Piss In My Pockets is a fun, raucous opener. Those snarling vocals are such a fixture of the EP, it’d be hard to imagine it without them. They wail with such life and energy they give the guitars a run for their money. Meanwhile Close My Eyes slows things down slightly to let you catch your breath. Even still, the band manage to rock the shit of the song, those crashing cymbals ready to bring the place around your ears.
For a debut EP, Piss In My Pockets is a success thanks to its distinct vision. It’s an EP that manages to offer an eclectic bunch of songs that flex each of the band’s muscles, yet also manages to convey a concise story. It’s one that is very involved and personal, one that any kid trying to come to terms with the world can appreciate. Or at the very least, rock the fuck out to.
