Hex Theory - Hex Theory

Released: September 4

On their debut EP, Michigan-based Hex Theory comes out of the gate with a noisy and chaotic blend of garage, breakbeat, techno, and industrial, most of it at high speed. It’s all pretty high energy and has the aesthetic of a wall of moderately discernible noise coming directly out of small storage unit. I think the closest we get to something slow is the fourth track “Memory Card.” It feels rather subdued compared the high intensity beats that saturate the rest of the album. By comparison, this one has much of the high frequency elements muted and the beat comes across as relaxed. Of course this shifts back title the very next track but its basically the only soft-ish moment in this fifteen minute barrage. 

The flow of the album is quite nice, with the aforementioned lower intensity track placed roughly in the middle of the runtime. But many of the tracks simply kind of run right into the next track with little or no warning, adding a layer of frenetic energy on top of what’s already there. The jump between “Memory Card” and “Doppelgänger” is this way and it’s a fun little jarring moment. The final track “Spiderwebs” is the longest and has a shift near the end that makes for a solid close. It opens up with heavy electronic beats that start out defined and pronounced, but gradually devolves into a wall of noise. From here, dark and slightly distorted pads take over and slowly inch us towards the end, giving a feeling of the frantic energy slowly fading away. With this end, it makes the album feel cohesive and planned even if the sonics are saying panic.