Local Review: Hangxiety — Super

Hangxiety
Super
Uinta Records
Street: 10.31.2025
Hangxiety = Early Sonic Youth x Rush x Bad Brains

First, the rhythmic snare drum hits you like a truck. Then, the guitar pushes out a wall of noise that could cause arrhythmia at high enough volumes. “Colton! Are you pressing record? Turn my vocals up.” The music chugs like an Apache helicopter. “Do you think my drums could fit in your car, Kyle?” It’s the sort of sound reserved for the punishment of upstairs neighbors. “Maybe if I put the seat down…”

This is all within the first 45 seconds of Hangxiety’s new EP Super, during the opening track titled “Drink Ticket.” It’s a record I’ve grown quite fond of for its raw production and near avant-garde songwriting. The band refers to themselves as a punk band — an appraisal I can’t help but interpret as self-deprecating humor. There is much more substance and musicality here than usual for punk music. This band plays circles around most punk bands I’ve had the privilege of listening to, whilst maintaining the mentality and mannerisms, making Super almost progressive at times.

You may have heard the story about how Les Claypool of Primus had auditioned for and almost joined Metallica after Cliff Burton passed away. I believe the resulting sound of that near-reality lineup would be something like Hangxiety here. This EP sounds as if Andrew Weiss had produced a less thrash-focused Kill ‘Em All: It’s an unfiltered sound you can’t find anywhere else. You won’t hear any soaring solos or masterclass singing, but for those who prefer dissonant off-kilter performances, you’ll find much to appreciate about Super. It’s the sonic equivalent of blacksmithing: dirty and rhythmic, but it will burn your skin off if you don’t respect it.

A side effect of the raw sound is that the vocals don’t cut through the mix particularly well, which is unfortunate because tracks like the politically-charged “Big Dick Liberals” or the working-class call to action “99 Trolley Problems” wear their political messaging on their sleeves. My personal favorite track here is “Malibu Ken’s Dream House” for its amazing instrumental work, but I couldn’t piece together most of the lyrics from the original mix if you held a gun to my head. While I appreciate the unproduced nature of the record, I still think it’s a record that could have benefitted from some more time in the mixing process to make the vocals sit in better.

I think Super is a great introduction to the more experimental side of the SLC punk scene. It’s a record I could find myself recommending to punk fans who have stagnated in their tastes and are looking for something new, or a record to be used in the emergency intervention of a listener who says their favorite punk band is Green Day or blink-182. It’s the kind of record that could change the life trajectory of a blue-haired ‘90s Matthew Lillard. For those looking to hear something new, Hangxiety’s EP Super is available on all streaming platforms. —Ezra Smith

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