Hunx and His Punx is an American rock band consisting of noted musical queer Seth Bogart (Hunx) and his all-female backing-band Punx. Attentative readers will know Hunx as frontman of electropop group Gravy Train!!!! (four exclamation marks, please), a group as trashy as it is explicit and strongly indebted to the gay/lesbian love theme. And as if that, in combination with a delightfully flamboyant singer, wasn't endorsement enough, anyone who releases an EP called Gay Singles deserves some extra credit with me. With Hunx and His Punx Bogart opted for a change of style, explicitly modelling his sound after 1960's girl bands and garage punk. An all-female back-up band makes for an obvious, but nontheless perfect complement in that light, and the romantic, guitar-driven songs do the rest. One similarity remains however, and that is the fact that as with Gravy Train !!!! it seems as if he is having a lot of fun with this new project.
That fact by no means suggests that Hunx and His Punx should not be taken seriously. In fact, that would be a gross misconception. Hunx may be as noted for his music as for his overtly sexual and somewhat theatrical appearance, but it's the music that is the core of Hunx and His Punx, which is an honest hommage, and a fairly good one at that. Part of it is pastiche, but in addition to that the new direction signals an evolution towards more of a grown-up Hunx and that is worth commending. Loyal Gravy Train supporters may not find the same things here, but despite the obvious genre-shift even they will be able to appreciate the occasional wink. And above all, Bogart didn't tone down the attitude. And it doesn't hurt the album's credibility either. The overall tone of the record is of honest intentions and thus the band avoids falling through the trapdoor of parody. The loose, humoristic approach and the authentic aestetic of the music ultimately make that this album can uphold itself nicely, even though in the end, it steers clear from conventions. Good job.
Tracklist
1. Lovers Lane
2. He's Coming Back
3. Keep Away From Johnny
4. The Curse Of Being Young
5. Too Young To Be In Love
6. If You're Not Here (I Don't Know Where You Are)
7. Bad Boy
8. Tonite Tonite
9. Can We Get Together?
10. Blow Me Away
That fact by no means suggests that Hunx and His Punx should not be taken seriously. In fact, that would be a gross misconception. Hunx may be as noted for his music as for his overtly sexual and somewhat theatrical appearance, but it's the music that is the core of Hunx and His Punx, which is an honest hommage, and a fairly good one at that. Part of it is pastiche, but in addition to that the new direction signals an evolution towards more of a grown-up Hunx and that is worth commending. Loyal Gravy Train supporters may not find the same things here, but despite the obvious genre-shift even they will be able to appreciate the occasional wink. And above all, Bogart didn't tone down the attitude. And it doesn't hurt the album's credibility either. The overall tone of the record is of honest intentions and thus the band avoids falling through the trapdoor of parody. The loose, humoristic approach and the authentic aestetic of the music ultimately make that this album can uphold itself nicely, even though in the end, it steers clear from conventions. Good job.
Tracklist
1. Lovers Lane
2. He's Coming Back
3. Keep Away From Johnny
4. The Curse Of Being Young
5. Too Young To Be In Love
6. If You're Not Here (I Don't Know Where You Are)
7. Bad Boy
8. Tonite Tonite
9. Can We Get Together?
10. Blow Me Away
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