Review
The Hussy
Weed Seizure

Just a year ago I was writing about Cement Tomb Mind Control. Here we are in 2012, and the Madison, WI two-piece is already dropping their second full-length,Weed Seizure, on Tic Tac Totally Records. Considering the backbone of The Hussy is to play l-o-u-d garage rock, there isn’t a dramatic shift here in style. The changes are more in nuance.

With 14 songs (13 plus a bonus), the record still blasts by in under a half-hour. The longest track, “The Moon Rules #1,” is probably their biggest departure in sound—yet it still clocks in at only 3:11. What comes across on Weed Seizure, to me, is the improvement in drummer Heather Sawyer’s vocals. The band splits vocals pretty evenly between Sawyer and guitarist Bobby Hussy, but Sawyer’s vocals are more melodic and a bit less screamy this time around. The contrast played well on Cement Tomb Mind Control, but when she brings it down a notch it gives a more subtle complexity to the music. Sure, the duo are still beating the hell out of their instruments, but the heart that lies behind those pounded skins and strings has a little more window to shine through. The levels on the record, too, are a bit more suited to this. The last release basically turned it up to 11 and left it there, while the follow-up tempers things a little more. With a song like “I Don’t Really Want To,” the cleaner sound gives a touch of pop to the repetitive riffs instead going for pure assault. Added to that, there’s less call-and-response to the vocals giving the whole record a more balanced approach.

The swagger of the last record feels more constrained as well, with a bit more bite to the lyrics. The haunting opening guitar in “Undefined” established a tone that’s well versed in garage-rock, but with an exploratory side that will momentary take it in new directions. Meanwhile, the guitars keep their big sound. “Liar” has an almost classic rock, bluesy guitar line, and the licks that bridge verses in “Stab Me” have something of a classic hard pop-rock touch. As Bobby sings the refrain of “Stab me in my heart,” this is countered by Sawyer’s “doo doo doos.” Curiously, as the songs have grown angrier in nature, the sound has almost done the opposite.