by Kris Handel (@khandel84)
Hounds is the debut EP from NYC band Tetchy, and it’s one full of roiled up emotional bloodletting and resolve over beds of muscular instrumentation. Maggie Denning’s vocals are a focal point as she lays out her bare emotions in an always powerful manner, be it in letting go of fears or detrimental relationships. Tetchy clearly have a bit of a punk-pop leaning influence with moments of infectious melodies but with a backbone of sterner material that is not afraid to explode instantaneously. Denning shows her vocal versatility in moments that range from tentatively searching moments to yowls of searing rage which take no prisoners.
“Emotional Labor” starts off with Dylan Lapointe’s bouncing bassline underneath Denning’s initially breathy vocals and ringing guitars raising the tension as Denning outlays exhaustion at holding back in the most trying moments of life either interpersonal or inwards. The song breaks down musically towards the latter end with scratching distortion and thunderous drums as Denning’s guitar drops chiming fills for a fitting tension releasing finale. “The Fool” starts off with Denning’s warbled vocals that eventually settle into a melancholic reverie over the loss of a relationship that seemed close but reveals itself to be irrevocably damaging. “The World” ends the EP on a note of frustration at being out of place or lack of belonging that eventually mutates into quiet sense of strength that keeps a strain of perseverance alive.
Hounds does a lot of heavy lifting and asks you to go through an emotional wringer that makes it even more heartfelt and endearing. There are moments here which slightly resembles a heavier and edgier punk with Garbage-esque melodic texture in the instrumentation and Denning’s vocal approach. Tetchy have created a recording that asks a lot of question without concrete results which makes it extremely relatable for those that have faced uncertainty within themselves or dealing with their surroundings and relationships. Hounds is an EP that is definitely vulnerable and emotionally exhausting, yet one that releases a sense of personal strength and resilience that is oddly comforting.