Heavy Times

Heavy Times

Black Sunglasses

Hozac

***Those irresistible misanthropes are finally back with a new record after a year of lineup changes (4 different bass players on this 4 song EP) and strife, and those impressive new songs are ready to saw you in half. The A-side bolts forward like a pair of metronomic 70s Italian electro-punk anthems that skipped through time, complete with icy KORG patterns interwoven with sinister simplicity that’s almost too much to handle. The sheer brevity of craft here is in high form, like a knife made of ice or an invisible noose around your neck, it’s all downhill UNLESS you see their way. This is gutter-level pop for nobodies that want everything, and it’s about time these tracks were allowed to sizzle like this, as Heavy Times have evolved yet again and you’re gonna love every minute of it. The B-side unplugs the synthesizer and takes a turn back toward their signature “criminal pop” side that we love so much, conjuring up feelings of running for your life from the cops (and outrunning them) as well as some slick & melancholic Thin Lizzyisms that are just what your lonely heart needs tonight. So have no fear, Heavy Times are still throbbing along better than ever, lurking in the shadows, trying hard to not to act like they’re the best band in Chicago. First pressing of 500 copies.

Heavy Times

Fix It Alone

Hozac

***Chicago's most hated band on the world's most hated record label, what could go wrong? But don't believe what you've read in the papers, HEAVY TIMES are certainly back with their massive third album, mainlining 18 tracks in 33 minutes for maximum impact to your safely guarded danger zones, and simultaneously scoring the soundtrack to your summer of sickness. Picking up where the razored edge of Jacker left off and screaming off into the stratosphere where their heavenly guitar interplay weaves a complicated yet natural web around their unique and peerless punk sound, Heavy Times have raised the bar undoubtedly, and you'd better be ready. Recorded with COOPER CRAIN from Bitchin' Bajas/CAVE, this album jumps out of the grooves and shakes you senseless from one song style to the next, displaying a range and variety most modern punk bands wouldn't even understand, let alone be able to keep up with. Through all the dizzying highs, the sobering lows, and the creamy middles, Heavy Times are quickly mastering their form roght before our eyes and it's never been more evident as on the Fix It Alone LP, one incredible album that's a benchmark for modern punk, with all the hooks you just can't find in books.

Heavy Times

I'm Single

Hozac

***Man oh man, HEAVY TIMES are on a roll. Creatively, they're in a league of their own right now, tightening their grip on the rawest pop hooks in such a refreshing way, it's dumbfounding, especially on this new 3-track 7" EP, which signifies a distinct lead-off point for their intensely effective evolution. While their caterwauling Jacker LP laid the pressure on thick, combining their other-worldly pop hooks with the brutality and animalistic instinct of blurred punk aggravation, they always conjure an image of a band on the brink of collapse, yet they continue to churn out pop gems this pinpoint precise. Out of all of the crop of currently important bands in the Chicago underworld (and there are quite a few right now), Heavy Times are truly unique, carving out instantly infectious songs that straddle two tiers of guitar interplay that weave their way into your skull immediately, causing a surge of invigoration and leaving an obscure trail of nuances that will leave you thirsting for more. Edition of 475 copies.

Heavy Times

Jacker

Hozac

***As Chicago’s most lethal band of the fast-rising noise pop neurotics, HEAVY TIMES have carved out a uniquely hypnotic sound that’s hard to pin down but easy to fall for, and fast. Crushingly melodic vocal hooks cleverly interwoven with static-filled harmonies no one’s prepared for, all executed with a snarling blow to the pleasure receptors. Their massive, almost cavernous grungy pop will escape most realistic comparisons, but as the scuzz starts to feverishly build and disseminate on each successive track of Jacker, it becomes quickly evident that the songs that frame these livid bursts of punk energy are always worth waiting for. Once these mammoth choruses kick into gear, and just as the guitars explode, it’s an endorphin-rushing experience that stands all hairs on end, and will knock you back unexpectedly. This is a band that carefully divides its power, bringing the hammer down right where it needs to hit, and locking into a euphonic wave of impossibly catchy, spidery guitar lines that soar and dive with the best of ‘em so well, you’ll swear you’ve heard these chords somewhere before. What’s more is that Heavy Times have just as much of a hand on blasting your eardrums into oblivion as they do on their signature mega-melodic wall of vocals, washing like a golden glaze over each track with an enchantingly harmonic howl, that clearly defines their hyperactive Wipers-soaked sound to the core.

Heavy Times

No Plans

Hozac

***Chicago's newest unpredictable pop blasting caps, HEAVY TIMES, seemed to come out of nowhere this year, and with less than a handful of shows (and a few handmade releases) under their belt within months, they were already turning heads. Primarily the vehicle of BO HANSEN, the band has been recording since 2005 in and out of bedrooms, alone or with others, right up to their current, air-tight three-piece lineup which takes the form of a pop-guided wrecking ball that just can do no wrong. The way they straddle the drastic line of duality between their ferocious live incarnation and their heavenly harmonious studio recordings is still keeping us scratching our heads, as well. In the wake of their recent self-released debut album Dead, earlier this year, it was even more apparent how strong the songwriting was becoming, and once you hear how their mind-blowing screaming dual guitar interplay cuts through it all, it's really no surprise that we're excited about what these guys have up their sleeves. They may be running in the dark alleys and gutters now, but with chops this big and hooks this blinding, we won't be able to keep them a Chicago secret for much longer. First press of 500 black editions.