I Just Never Want To Hear That Sound

Ex Hex “How You Got That Girl”

One thing that sets Mary Timony apart from a lot of other artists, particularly those of her generation, is that in over 20 years, she’s never once revisited the past. She’s never reunited Helium, she doesn’t play oldies in concert, she hasn’t stuck to any of her signature sounds. Every phase of her career is a particular idea with a specific set of musicians, and once it’s over, she scraps the songs and moves on. Her current band, Ex Hex, shares its name with one of her mid-00s solo albums, but that’s about as much as you’ll get from her in terms of looking backwards. The new band is a logical progression from where she was in Wild Flag – fun and energetic, with a distinct late ‘70s/early ‘80s new wave vibe. At first I thought this material was regressive, but I’ve come to feel like that’s part of the charm. Yes, she may be far away from the distinct genius of her guitar playing in Helium, but the simplicity of the arrangements in Ex Hex allow her to really focus on melody and hooks, and that pays off with a handful of some of the catchiest and most immediate songs of her career.

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