Greg Hoy’s new album is Hit Music, a raw, soulful, acoustic release via Bandcamp. Hoy calls to mind bands prominent in the noughties, a la Bare Naked Ladies, Incubus, Phantom Planet, or Red Hot Chili Peppers. The kind of unapologetic, nasally sound of a guy or guys in their garage, pumping their angst, pain, insights, and heartache into a mic.
Hoy’s album certainly has a literal tip of the hat to this image, given the fact Hoy developed spinal arthritis and needed a new way to express his creativity. The result is something that doesn’t shy away from this change of direction, but embraces it musically. There’s a grimy quality to the tracks aside from their refreshingly homemade, if high-performance qualities. A particular standout is Luck vs Fate, calling to mind memories of joyriding with the radio on blast. Hoy clearly isn’t interested in being a creature of his time. There’s no electronica in any of the tracks, sans keyboards.
“There was a period during the pandemic when I re-listened to pretty much every album and song that influenced me growing up,” Hoy confirmed, in an interview about his band with The Big Takeover. “As much as we took the framework for early Van Halen in to the production of the last EP, the song itself was influenced by Sly & The Family Stone’s ‘Dance to the Music,’ as well as Van Halen’s ‘Feel Your Love Tonight.’ If you learn the verse’s chords, you’ll also see they are the ones from Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit.’ The old cliché ‘great artists steal’ might be true. At least in our case, it’s a strong borrow, nod, and wink. And maybe that’s why the song feels kinda familiar to people from the first listen – like all memorable pop.”
BANDCAMP: https://greghoy.bandcamp.com/album/hit-music
With Hit Music, because of Hoy’s health some of this required a different approach. The songs have an angrier, flashier quality to them. Oddly enough, they feel fitting for something visually akin to James O’Barr’s The Crow strip. As if from Hoy’s personal plight has emerged something artistically rewarding and inventive. Hoy certainly seems to think so, having commented, “I’d drop my daughter off at preschool, head straight to the studio, and just play whatever felt good…It was a return to my earliest recording experiences—raw, instinctual, and completely live.”
With a number of tour dates already booked for 2025, Hoy is making a comeback that doesn’t just feel well-deserved, but wholly organic to the creative process. Some music from personal tribulations can be almost too defined by its origins. But Hoy feels more like a case of in spite, true to the kick-ass, rock-and-roll spirit of his work. If he’s angrier and darker than some of his earlier material, it feels like a creative decision as much as one dictated by a routine turned on its ear.
His bio describes him as “…a prolific songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer known for his energetic live shows and genre-blending rock sound. Over the years, he has collaborated with legendary names, recorded with Steve Albini, and remained fiercely independent. His latest project, Hit Music, marks a bold new chapter in his evolving career.” That feels genuine, and damn right.
Garth Thomas