TOE JAM MONDAYS: Enter the Time Machine known as Hunx and His Punx
Hunx and His Punx new album Too Young to be in Love was released March 29 and I wanted to make sure you all had a chance to grab it before your weekend started. Hunx and His Punx mix the innocence and nostalgia of The Shangri Las with the roughness of The Ramones – combining 50s inspired tunes of teenage love and loss with that lo-fi, raw edge of the early punk scene.
Seth “Hunx†Bogart is the flambouyant front-man to this all girl pop band. I heard it described somewhere as “beehive pop” and it’s such a perfect summation. It’s exactly what I picture – girls with big hair, cat eye liner and sequins, with a male lead who probably knows how to “work it” better than I do.
“The Curse of Being Young” makes me want to put on a party dress and drink whiskey in my car outside the school dance. It brings you back to that age of teenage rebellion and discovery when you were just starting to imagine how amazing your life was going to be and where it would lead you.
Hunx and His Punx – Curse of Being Young
Hunx and His Punx – The Curse of Being Young
“Lovers Lane” sounds like it would fit right into the era of morbid love songs written in the 50s. Think “The Last Kiss” by Wayne Cochran that recounts a car accident where a young man loses his girlfriend and they share one last kiss. Not exactly the typical love song but still a great song none the less. There are always trends you don’t quite understand right? Crazywear pants anyone?
J Frank Wilson and The Cavaliers – The Last Kiss
J Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers – Last Kiss
The female vocals on “If You’re Not Here” are raw and loud and have me singing along – it may be in the car when I’m alone, but I am definitely belting this out. And when the female vocal comes in on “Bad Boy”, I picture this girl as a Nancy Sinatra looking, Joan Jett.
Hunx and His Punx – If You’re Not Here
Hunx and His Punx – If You’re Not Here (I Don’t Know Where You Are)
As for Hunx, if you follow him on Twitter, you know that he is not shy about his sexuality – or his bodily functions or his views on just about anything for that matter – but it is definitely no secret that he is a gay man and proud of it. Even though he can be quite blunt about his lovelife, I love that he becomes tender and relatable on this album. On their track “Too Young to be In Love” he’s doesn’t have to throw it in your face for you to get the point – these are songs about love and heart break. period. Mind you, he still keeps his edge opening the song with “Why won’t you do it with me? I want to do it with you. You are my bad boy.”
This whole album is honest and sweet and rebellious.
I’ve heard a couple of albums lately that have a retro, 50s and 60s vibe and I am loving it. Maybe because I grew up listening to those types of songs, or maybe because those songs are timeless. Either way, Hunx and His Punx offer just enough 2011 to make the 1950s relevant again. Now excuse me while I plan my weekend of Sadie Hawkins dances and sitting in the back of a Chevy, talking until the sun comes up – I just need bobby socks and a beehive to make it complete.