Song titling: some bands do it, but it’s kinda blah. Some bands do it and the title represents the song, but maybe doesn’t quite pop. Other bands seem to hit just the right note in terms of pulling the human psyche in unexpected ways, conjuring up nostalgia, or just making you chuckle. Brooklyn post-punk trio HYPEMOM seems to fall into that last camp.
So here I am, preparing to write up a premiere for two songs from their upcoming EP, Concessions, the latest in a series of releases the band has put out since forming in 2013. As I’m reading through their press release, I get to the titles of tracks they’re premiering. First, “Pog Merch.” Suddenly, I have nostalgic visions of doing a magazine sale back in middle school where, if you sold enough magazines, you could choose a prize. I (somehow, probably exclusively to family members) sold enough magazines to qualify for a prize, and chose a pog set featuring a milk cap from every NHL team. I was pretty proud of that damn pog set… until it rather quickly eventually was moved to a storage space where it still sits today.
Second track premiering from Concessions: “Sports Music.” Here, my brain goes into overdrive: HYPEMOM => “Sports Music” => Yellow Magic Orchestra member Haruomi Hosono’s ridiculously catchy “Sports Men.” And at this point, I’m inserting HYPEMOM into the song: “I’ll be a good mom / Be a good mom / I’ll be a HYPEMOM.” Sigh. My brain works in mysterious ways.
As if interesting song titles weren’t enough (Duck Metal? Duck metal!), HYPEMOM describes their sound as causing a listener's feet to misbehave, and I found this to indeed be the case while checking out their back catalog. The band is playing both tomorrow night (January 15th) and on March 19th for the Concessions release at ALPHAVILLE in NYC.
Dig the pair of tracks from the new EP via Bandcamp below.
