The Hard Quartet’s debut self-titled double album is a gorgeous collection of fuzzy indie-rock earworms that ebb and flow with scruffy charm. The alt-rock legends (Emmett Kelly, Stephen Malkmus, Matt Sweeney, and Jim White) came together naturally to form this band, and the musical results speak to their joy in recording.
The strongest songs arrive early as “Chrome Mess” is a crunchy rocker with up and down tempo shifts. It is heavy but still catchy, with flairs of Sonic Youth-like sounds, including rumbling drums and distorted bass that send shivers. The first single, “Earth Hater,” travels the path of Malkmus’ distorted warbling with chunky low-end and clean guitar lines all mixing, while the best tune on the album, “Rio’s Song”, is a beautiful, guitar-driven, questioning mortality effort that soars.
“Our Hometown Boy” is vibrant California folk rock in the vein of classic Byrds offerings. It really shines with harmonies before the band brings the sound back to the Lower East Side for lo-fi, punkish power on “Renegade.” The Hard Quartet never sit still for long as they dive into off-kilter Americana with both the rambling/twinkling “Heel Highway” and the easy-flowing “Killed By Death,” which uses great snare and slicing guitar.
The poetic “Hey” with lines like “Surrender to the illusion/Sound in a vacuum/Wandering the planet alone” stumbles out with early 90s indie/slacker vibes before the ominous rumbling of “It Suites You” turns creepy in a good way. The first half of the album is a sonic whirlwind, as the songwriting is intricate and still melodic. The briefness of the tunes allows things to float in and out, never overstaying their welcome; top-notch all around.
However, in the album’s second half, things become elongated and drag a bit. The band’s artsiest efforts, “Six Deaf Rats” and “Action For Military Boys”, both overextended themselves, while album closer “Gripping the Riptide” is spaced-out fuzz that never ignites. The acoustic-based “Jacked Existence” is pretty and well done, while both the odd cowboy song “North of the Border” and the loping “Thug Dynasty” are interesting but don’t hit the highs of the opening run of tunes.
That said, The Hard Quartet’s debut is a refreshing gust of slightly peculiar indie rock that sounds spirited and lively while also reminiscent of the individual members’ past successes.
