In the press release for Hairdresser Blues, Seth Bogart (who plays under the Hunx pseudonym) states that on his first solo release, he wasn’t so concerned with entertaining people. Which is frightening, for two reasons.
First, considering Bogart’s onstage demeanour, it’s almost impossible that he can’t entertain. He treats the stage as his personal playground, beguiling the crowd with his outlandishly sexual stage manner before the whole night erupts into something of a ’50s inspired sock hop. His albums with Punx, his backing band have always been chalk-full of tight, garage-pop gems. For a guy so unpredictable, his records maintain a sense of consistency.
The second worry concerning Hairdresser Blues is Bogart’s possible desire to get his experiment on, and release an album that is, in a sense, a drastic departure from past releases.
All of these worries fall by the wayside after the first spin of Hairdresser Blues. Bogart wrote all the songs himself and had a hand on every instrument (save for drums, manned proficiently by his boyfriend Daniel Pitout of Vancouver’s Nu Sensae). The campy Bogart serves up ten concise jams that will have even the tightest of squares cutting loose and showing off the dance moves they’ve long kept in the shower. The only difference from past releases is that Hairdresser Blues feels like less of a façade; Bogart lets listeners into his personal realm. Say Goodbye Before You Leave is a touching ode to departed punk rocker (and touring mate) Jay Reatard and Always Forever, the budding, rolling jam of the album details how Bogart finally got over a painful relationship.
There is still more than enough catchy, toe-tapping gems on the record to keep up with Bogart’s past catalogue. But Hairdresser Blues is all about paradoxes: Bogart touches on dark lyrical matter, all amidst potent garage hits. And considering that only one track on the album stretches over three minutes, Hairdresser Blues is a remarkable accomplishment in that it might be Hunx’s most permanent release.
BY JOSHUA KLOKE
Best Track: Do You Remember Being A Roller?
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: TY SEGALL, or waking up in the morning to a glass of freshly-squeezed OJ and walking with a bounce in your step for the rest of the day
In A Word: Bouncy
