SINGLE REVIEW: Crack! Bang! Pow! - Hey
Crack! Bang! Pow! crash onto the scene with 'Hey,' a feral, full-throttle garage rock anthem that feels tailor-made for sweat-drenched basement shows and reckless abandon. It’s a track that doesn’t hold back, surging forward with guttural shouts, a searing guitar hook, and a rhythm section that pounds with the urgency of a bar fight waiting to happen.
From the start, 'Hey' feels like a collision of eras, drenched in the raw, sludgy textures of early ‘90s punk and grunge while carrying the unfiltered, high-energy chaos of the early 2000s garage revival. The guitars chime with a glittering, fizzy quality before crashing into fuzzed-out rhythms, striking a balance between vibrant effervescence and moments of downtempo, doom-laden grit. Infectious riffs twist and contort, creating a magnificent, multifaceted soundscape where structure and bedlam coexist. The song flips and weaves between tightly wound energy and looser, more exploratory sections, giving it an unpredictable, high-voltage charge that keeps the listener on edge.
While the track nods to bands like Green Day and Incubus, its wilder, more unhinged moments lean into the psychedelic and experimental side of The Mars Volta, making 'Hey' a restless hybrid of punk’s raw immediacy and grunge’s murky depth. Crack! Bang! Pow! blend these influences seamlessly, refusing to be boxed into one particular sound. The result is a track that thrives on its sheer adrenaline, the kind of song that demands movement—whether that’s stomping, moshing, or just throwing your fists in the air. Beneath the sweat and distortion, there’s a sense of catharsis, an outlet for angst that Crack! Bang! Pow! wield with reckless precision.
The band, a Texas-based trio led by Brad Peterson (vocals, guitar) alongside Ryan Reyna (drums) and Jason Guerrero (bass), have been crafting their sound since 2022, but 'Hey' marks their official single debut. Recorded with engineer Alex Backlund at Fascination Street Studios, it’s a blistering introduction to their high-voltage brand of garage rock—a no-frills, all-thrills onslaught of noise and attitude, fizzing with an electric unpredictability that leaves you wanting more.