There’s no shortage of excellent undiscovered bands lurking in watering holes across America (and San Diego), but oftentimes, tunes from local bands can feel half-baked. That shouldn’t be a surprise and it’s not a dig. Very few bands drop into the world fully sonically formed. There’s a growth process that finds them grasping around in the musical darkness, experimenting with sounds and mixing together the influences of various members.
But for many bands, the baking never ends. There’s always something sort of missing, something that’s not quite clicking. Ultimately, that’s why many bands end up staying “local bands.” Hex, however, feels ready to be pulled out of the oven. Hex’s seamless blend of dream pop and shoegaze demonstrates the band knows exactly what it’s looking to do and exactly how to do it. The results are, simply put, delightful.
Hex, “The Tower”: Hex’s 2022 single, “The Tower,” is the band’s most fully realized track to date. There are shades of Real Estate-esque jangle pop here and a sense of melancholy that gives me the feeling of watching the world glide by through the passenger seat window. What’s perhaps most impressive is how well every element fits together – the whispered, barely audible vocals, the laidback drum work, the shoegazey guitar lines. It’s a heck of a song and hopefully a sign of what’s to come for Hex.
Like what you hear? Check out Hex at Che Cafe on Thursday, Aug. 15 Do you have a “Song of the Week” suggestion? Shoot us an email and a sentence or two about why you’ve been bumping this song lately. Friendly reminder: all songs should be by local artists.