Thanks to Ex Hex's sheer commitment to their rock & roll fantasies, It's Real never feels less than genuine.
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.
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.
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.
Their propensity for classic rock riffage sounds somewhat outdated now, too, and ‘It’s Real’ doesn’t quite pack the same punch as their debut ‘Rips’.
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
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