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Critic Reviews
100
Ex Hex's post-punk style and blown-out aesthetics hit new heights on second album It's Real.
7y
80
Thanks to Ex Hex's sheer commitment to their rock & roll fantasies, It's Real never feels less than genuine.
7y
80
The DC punks edge into glam territory, as if their low-ceilinged dive bar is located on a space shuttle. Don your glittery outfits and get ready to mosh.
7y
80
The whole album shakes with frantic yet taut sonics, creating sounds that linger in your muscle fibres long after the tunes come to an end. At only 37 minutes it’s an album that doesn’t hang around long, but it kicks ass whilst it does.
7y
80
It’s Real accomplishes the one thing anyone would have questioned of Ex Hex after their debut – could they and would they expand their palette on their next outing, if there would even be a next outing.
7y
80
Mary Timony’s power trio returns with snarl, arena-scale roar, and real-world hurt.
7y
80
Rip-roaring second album by Mary Timony’s power trio.
7y
78
It’s an odd sensation, listening to a raucous arena-rock album made by such straight-A students, but it’s ultimately a rewarding one.
7y
75
While this core feeling is definitely still there, Ex Hex have a bit of trouble keeping their writing consistently fresh this time around. Despite some of these all too familiar moments, when Ex Hex shines on this record, you’ll just want to get up and dance.
7y
70
It's Real proves that Ex Hex can draw influences from different eras of rock music and spin them into something that sounds like only them.
7y
70
In the kaleidoscopic turns of its riffs and the lofty heights of its choruses, It's Real is a perfect soundtrack for forging ahead at high velocity.
7y
65
The band’s brash, spirited ethos shines through each track; musically, it’s hard-hitting (especially in terms of its guitars). If you’re seeking something you’ve truly never heard before, though, you might want to look elsewhere.
6y
60
Indeed, many listeners will get a thrill from the laser-pointed precision of the final product, a sort of quest for sonic perfection. But unless the bulk of Timony and Ex Hex fans have been harvesting a secret love for Rainbow or Foreigner for all these years, the sheer bloodlessness, the cleanliness, the emphatic punklessness of it all might just make it a pill too bland for many to swallow.
7y
50
Their propensity for classic rock riffage sounds somewhat outdated now, too, and ‘It’s Real’ doesn’t quite pack the same punch as their debut ‘Rips’.
7y
Eh. There are some decent riffs and hooks here, Mary Timony’s wimpy vocals are pretty unique, but none of those things are enough to elevate this album above mediocrity. Each tracks follows a similar path, to the point where they’re almost indistinguishable from one another, consequentially making for a pretty mundane listen.
I love Ex Hex's sound, but this feels like diminishing returns. Like "Rips" before it, it's music you could have a lot of fun blasting from your car during the summer. But the songs seem a little more subdued, the hooks a little duller, and some of their signature tricks - those crushing, harmonized chords that always evoke a Towshend-like windmill - feel a bit worn out. Since it's not as "rawk" as "Rips," I wish "It's Real" would have committed to ... read more
It’s Real is the second album for all female Garage Rock outfit EX Hex and it has a similar style and energy from their 2014 debut, but I fell like this time around they takes musical cues from the male dominated Hard Rock that was a staple of the early 80s. I’ve never been a big fan of that kind of style (think KISS), but it sounds different coming from a group of woman in the year 2019. I like that these songs sound akin to their debut, but also adds a whole new direction for the ... read more
![Hump Back - 人間なのさ [Ningen Nanosa]](https://cdn2.albumoftheyear.org/200x0/album/870809-_093728.jpg)
Contributions By
patton, thisisabtlgrnd, alicore, d_ism, anztec, Glitchy, bgod, tediously_brief, GuigssBecome a Subscriber
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Track List
| 1 | Tough Enough 4:38 | |
| 2 | Rainbow Shiner 3:35 | |
| 3 | Good Times 2:54 | |
| 4 | Want It to Be True 5:14 | |
| 5 | Diamond Drive 3:42 | |
| 6 | No Reflection 3:29 | |
| 7 | Another Dimension 5:31 | |
| 8 | Cosmic Cave 3:00 | |
| 9 | Radiate 3:53 | |
| 10 | Talk to Me 3:16 |
Total Length: 39 minutes
