Whippets and the sly, raw alt rock / grunge punk flirtations of "Nothing New"

 

"Here in the light / I think I know your type well enough to drill you / Now, you live in my bed..."

The sly, raw alt rock / grunge punk flirtations of "Nothing New" by Wisconsin based Whippets, and from their latest sophomore LP "No Skulls" via No Coast Records (Thee Oh Sees, Mecht Mensch, Patriarchy), is a wonderful shape-shifter of a track that flexes it's swaggery muscle one second and feels draped in velvet curtains the next. I like the surprising tonal shifts, the absolute 90's grunge guitar heaviness against sort of art rock haunts. The piano drops are pretty stunning and unexpected as is the dirty mayhem on the lead guitar drop, all pushed through a very darkly melancholy bridge of sorts. Power trios seem to be unicorns and they need to be saved at all costs especially ones as evocative as Whippets. 

Whippets feature Bobby Hussy on guitar and vocals, Tyler Spatz on bass and Hart Alan Miller on drums and in the past I have likened their sound to a collision of late 70's proto punk, Los Angeles / London seeded 80's punk stirring in contemporary feargach punk atmospheres. On this track, the blend of alt rock swank and art rock drama with grunge and punk over tones has me thinking of a collision of Them Crooked Vulture and the Dead Kennedy's (maybe it is Hussy's vocal howl that did make me think a bit of Jello Biafra.

Whippets will be embarking on an exciting European tour starting in January 2027 (see dates below).

-Robb Donker Curtius

[European Tour Dates]:

1.22.2027 - Netherlands - TBA

1.23.2027 - Paris, France - TBA

1.24.2027 - France - TBA

1.25.2027 - France - TBA

1.26.2027 - France - TBA

1.27.2027 - Köln, Germany – Sonic Ballroom

1.28.2027 - Dortmund, Germany – tba

1.29.2027 - Hamburg, Germany – Komet

1.30.2027 - Berlin, Germany – SCHOKOLADEN

1.31.2027 - Hannover, Germany – Nordstadtbraut

2.1.2027 - Bayreuth, Germany – Schokofabrik

2.2.2027 - Winterthur, Switzerland - TBA

2.3.2027 - Tübingen, Germany – Blauer Salon

2.4.2027 - Stuttgart, Germany – TBA

2.5.2027 - Karlsruhe, Germany – Alte Hackerei

2.6.2027 - Limburg, Netherlands – Kakadu

2.7.2027 - Arnhem, Netherlands – CAFE BOSCH

2.8.2027 - Bruxelles, Belgium – LE CHAFF

2.9.2027 - France, TBA

2.10.2027 - Annecy, France – TBA

2.11.2027 - Germany - TBA

2.12.2027 - Groningen, Netherlands – Vera w/ Primitive Ring

2.13.2027 - Netherlands - TBA

LYRICS


Here in the light
I think I know your type well enough to drill you
Now, you live in my bed

Not my head, not my head

I’m afraid of you
Trapped inside the truth

Hey! This is it!
I think I know your shit well enough to kill you
Now you live in my head

You are dead, you are dead!

I’m afraid of you
I was just a tool
This is nothing new
You will not come through


-Robb Donker Curtius

+ + +

THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4BbR5NrK1Tv62fI5tgK37D

https://whippetsband.bandcamp.com/album/whippets-2

https://www.instagram.com/whippets.whippets.whippets/

https://www.facebook.com/whippetstheband

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/whippets/1636073594


Bobby Hussy's previous output in his band The Hussy with Heather Sawyer (Proud Parents, Heather The Jerk) gained national recognition from Pitchfork, Consequence of Sound, Spin, and The Onion's A/V Club among a slew of other publications. Pitchfork praised the band's "nuance" on their third record Pagan Hiss, and they also included The Hussy's swan song, Looming, in their Best Punk and Garage Rock Albums of 2019 list. The band released seven LPs on labels such as Dirtnap Records, Southpaw and Tic Tac Totally, alongside a slew of singles on various American and European labels. During their 12 year run, The Hussy toured America extensively, as well as jaunts to Europe and Australia. They performed alongside contemporary luminaries Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, King Khan and BBQ, Digital Leather, The Faint, legendary staples Mudhoney and too many other amazing bands to name them all here. He has performed at the premiere garage rock festival GONERFEST 4 times. Bobby Hussy has also performed in the bands Digital Leather, Cave Curse, Fire Heads, and he currently records and performs with Wristwatch and TIT. Tyler Spatz has played in the bands The Hussy, Cave Curse, Yuka Zolo and he currently performs and records with Poney and Wristwatch. Hart Miller has played drums for Tenement, MDC and Wartorn.

Whippets, alt rock, punk, surf punk, punk dystopia, self titled album, "Nothing New", Bobby Hussy guitar / vox, Tyler Spats bass, Hart Alan Miller drums, Los Angeles 80's punk, sophomore album "No Skulls",