Album Review: Hebronix- Unreal

Usually, on weekday mornings, after I tell my wife it’s time to get up at 6:40, but before I tell her again that it’s time to get up at 6:50, then feed our companion rabbits, I will spend that ten minutes internetting around. After checking my email, the first stop is usually Pitchfork, to see if there’s any important music news, and then to see what five albums have been reviewed that day.

More often than not, I haven’t heard of many of the albums that get a review. There are of course the “big name” records, then there’s the bands I’ve heard of but never given much thought to, then there’s the lucky few that are dubbed “Best New Music,” and so I will preview those online to see if I should have my own opinion about them, or if I will believe everything the good book of P4K tells me.

It was only a few days ago, but I’m really uncertain why I gave this album by Hebronix a second glance. Getting a low-ish rating (6.7),and a pretty standard Ian Cohen review—tepid/disinterested—I decided to give it a listen myself.

Hebronix is the moniker of one Daniel Blumberg, who until a few months ago was the frontman for the indie buzz band Yuck. I never really looked into Yuck—I thought the name was a bit of an embarrassment; the cover art was a crude drawing of someone who looked like they were going to barf, and the review on P4K, while given an 8.1, name dropped just about every alt-rock band from the 1990’s as a comparison.

So I can’t really say that “Hebronix” is a better name for a band. Is that like Ebonics but for Jewish people? Anyway, name aside, Blumber’s debut release under this name, Unreal, is incredible.

Unreal is six songs long, but their running times border into “self-indulgent” territory—the opening track is 10 minutes; the closing track 8. At no point, however, do they ever drag or wear out their welcome.

While Yuck borrowed fuzz from 90’s acts like Dinosaur JR, Pavement, and Yo La Tengo, Blumberg switches gears with Hebronix, creating songs that are reminiscent of the early-to-mid Red House Painters canon, especially on the opening track “Unliving,” and on the album’s second single, the very catchy “Viral.”

In fact, it was within the first 30 seconds of “Unliving” where this record had my full and undivided attention, and I could begin to see it placing very high on my Best of 2013 list.

Unreal is produced by Neil Hagerty, one half of the now defunct heroin-pop duo Royal Trux. Knowing Hagerty is behind the boards on this record lends it a little bit of scuzzy street cred, although the scuzzy sound is used very sparingly. While the first two tracks are very delicately produced, things pick up with the overblown guitar soloing on “Wild Whim,” and the psychedelic leanings of the title track.

Some records, while good at any time of year, excel during certain seasons. The self-titled Hotel Lights album from 2004 is a near-flawless fall into winter record. And now as summer will eventually wind down into fall, Unreal serves as a perfect soundtrack for those August and September days. With his Hebronix project, Daniel Blumberg has crafted some wonderful adult-oriented pop. Here is hoping that he sticks with this project longer than he did with his former band.

Viral is available now via ATP Recordings.