Hex Boyfriend - Be Mine (review)
An expansive indie rock behemoth driven by spellbinding drama and a vengeful heart.
Score: 9/10
Genre: Indie Rock / Indie Pop / Grunge
Across the cover art of the singles and album is a chaotic home textile theme, perhaps alluding to the kind of rage you process in your bedroom, keeping your hands busy while your dark imagination runs wild. It’s certainly a fitting correlation, as the debut full-length from this Austin-based quartet (which includes RGV natives Ali Wagner and Audrey Scott of Sick/Sea) is dominated by cheeky saltiness and fantastical imagery.
It’s musically stunning as well, as indie pop sentiment meets grungey grit in moments that sway, soar, and crash-n-burn. On Valentine’s Day, we were treated to the sweet blistering riffs and teary-eyed aggression of the single “Be Mine”. It was a taste of things to come.
The album revs up with the catchy pop-punk energy of “Theme Song”, where voodoo and hypnosis are used to force a confessional. “I want you to spill your guts all over the floor,” Wagner irreverently sings. The pace gracefully slows in “Sorry,” an apologetic reflection about being distant. Despite its concise length, it’s one of the more dynamic, poised, and sincere songs on an album that’s full of them.
The band never runs out of distinct ideas for expressing melodrama. There’s the playful gender swap of “Her Man,” the bloody romantic martyrdome of “And All,” and the brooding “Run Run Run” where being swept away by the frigid wind or being buried in the dirt becomes a dark method of renewal, while screeching and reverberating guitars conjure a storm of their own.
The best highlight is “You Seem Fun” where Wagner not only refuses to bury the hatchet, but wants to dig up more for vengeful sport. It’s Hex Boyfriend at their most thrilling, especially during Wagner’s chilling diatribe, finally repeating “I’ll never let you go” over a menacing backdrop that intensifies to a blazing finish.
For a sporadically active band, it’s impressive how much care and beauty went into every pop hook, aching lyric, and cathartic moment. If wanting to hex a lover inspires this band to put together a spellbinding album that hopefully leads to a more permanent stint, then bring on the magic!
Score: 9/10