A spaceship hovers over The White House: sending out bolts of neon light, it zaps the people it encounters into an instantaneous glam punk makeover. The video for ‘Waterfall’ might be slightly ‘out there’, but it serves as a surprisingly accurate depiction of what this Washington D.C. trio are all about: vibrant, electric, and out of this world, Ex Hex make rock and roll music at its finest.
“It’s like having a dream,” Mary Timony expresses of their inspiration. “It comes out of you, and sometimes you don’t know what the hell it means, but there it is.” Boasting larger than life hooks and an energy that blazes with every refrain, classic stylings have never felt so fresh. “We wanted to write material that we liked,” the frontwoman describes. “We didn’t have any expectations, but people seemed to respond well and made it fun to play shows. We felt great about it.”
It’s been a long four years since they first crash-landed into consciousness with debut album ‘Rips’ in tow. Now, with the release of second album ‘It’s Real’, Ex Hex have never sounded this cosmic. “I think we wanted to expand our sound,” Betsy Wright states. “The songs we were writing just lent themselves to that sort of feeling.” More psychedelic, more punk, and more powerful than ever, the band’s most collaborative offerings yet showcase them at their most dynamic.
“It’s kind of like figuring out a puzzle,” Mary comments of the band’s approach to writing. “You just keep whittling away at it, then get it to a place where it all feels balanced.” Combining punk rock with psychedelic soundscapes, ‘It’s Real’ sees the trio flourish in their every nuance. “Once we get it locked in, then it’s done,” Mary continues. “Then it just becomes a question of playing it well.” “Which is where we’re at right now,” Betsy adds, “trying to get performance ready.”
