The Hunches - Exit Dreams
A fuzzy, visceral racket
These guys are definitely one of the closest remaining testaments to the influence of '70s US punk and garage. This album is a fuzzy, visceral racket indeed, doubtlessly the cause of countless broken sticks and strings. Exit Dreams pushes meters all over the place, with deliberate patches of distortion seeing the desk overload and the songs degenerate into a crunching, faltering mess of broken noise. Not Invited is the first real respite and slouches its sneering way across Iggy Pop and some of the early '90s Sub Pop scene's better moments. Though less concerned with eccentricity, the mania at times touches on that of US contemporaries HEALTH, who share a similar fondness for turning everything way the hell up and reminding you what tinnitus was meant to feel like. With rumours persisting that this could be The Hunches' swan-song, it's worth investigating the prospect of them touring your locale as Exit Dreams sounds destined for a brutal live airing. [Chris Cusack]