Break out the roller skates and water bong – Ex Hex are in town

Alt-rock veteran Mary Timony (Wild Flag, Helium) has delivered her most straight-ahead rock record yet with her current project, Ex Hex. Following quickly on the heels of Wild Flag’s dissolution, the indie rock supergroup featuring Timony, Sleater Kinney alumni Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss and keyboardist Rebecca Coles, Ex Hex released their first single, Hot and Cold earlier this year. Just a few months later, Ex Hex is back with Rips, a loving homage to early proto punk like The Runaways, mixed with the power-pop hooks of The Nerves and Cheap Trick.

Rips combines Timony’s ear for great melodies with a newfound appreciation for the almighty riff, resulting in the sort of record that would be right at home at any roller rink in the mid-70’s. Timony has joined with Betsy Wright and Laura Harris for the band, with the trio offering up a lean, no-frills take on classic FM radio rock, complete with some absolutely undeniable hooks. Below you can view their animated B-movie inspired video for “Waterfall,” featuring a number of punk luminaries, including The Cramps’ Kid Congo Powers, and D.C. hardcore vet Alec MacKaye (The Faith), as  well as a recent live session the band did for Bandwidth.fm.

Ex Hex are on a co-headlining tour now with Massachusetts buzz band Speedy Ortiz, that brings them to Montreal on October 28th. We’ve been clamouring for a local date for months now, so this is one you’ll definitely want to leave the couch for.

Ex Hex play Bar Le Ritz P.D.B. (179 Jean Talon Ouest) Oct. 28th with Speedy Ortiz and Kurvi Tasch. Tickets are $10 / $13, available here.