Local Reviews: The Hang Ups

The Hung Ups
Dawn of the Dead Beats
Ballz Out Records
Street: 07.15
The Hung Ups = (Descendents + Guttermouth + Screeching Weasel + The Mooks) / a hint of Andy Flag-era Anti-Flag
The Hung Ups are back with their sophomore full-length, and they’re as catchy as ever! DotDB is tight and the guitars cinch each song together with intricate leads such as in “Donkey Lips.”  Though the recording quality and togetherness shine through with this release, singer Josh Recker still manages to make love sound like the four-letter word that it is when he scratchily sings, “The girls like the chase, but they won’t let you take ’em home.” The Hung Ups flesh out commonalities—like being hung over, or your buddy not liking your band—in a way that lets us reflect on our first world strife with a sense of depth. The banger on this album is “Stranger to Sobriety” with its dark guitar work and anti-authoritarian candor. Don’t be surprised if these guys show up on Fat Wreck down the road—oh, and pick up this album.