Hex Domestic is four tracks of clanging guitars, gritty bass, and some of the most casual vocals you’ll hear this year, and to be honest, slacker doesn’t quite cut it. But, much like the best punk, even that rough and ready presentation can’t mask the inherent melody of Dragged Up’s music.
Title track ‘Hex Domestic’ sounds like something from Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York, performed at a snail’s pace. It’s straight-up slacker rock driven by plodding but catchy guitar riffs and carefree vocals, whilst ‘Fairytale In The Super Arcadia’ adds a little prog, beginning like a lazy Americana daydream before launching into driving psyche-rock via bouncy garage punk. ‘Hurricane’ is as close to a banger as Dragged Up gets. It motors along at a fair old pace, with shrieking, atonal guitar licks and spoken-word vocals. It feels like proper old-school DIY punk.
Closing track ‘Blaming The Weather’ is unlike anything else on the EP, combining gorgeous guitar instrumentals with beat poetry while maintaining a grungy edge. It’s a stunning conclusion to a solid EP, proof that Dragged Up aren’t just another throwaway punk band.
The Hex Domestic is out now via Cruel Nature Records
