HEX (HΞX to their friends) return with their third album, III. This collection of 10 tracks was written during the period when the band solidified its sound as a four-piece. With the addition of a second guitar, they explore new sonic horizons — moving effortlessly from modern garage punk to power pop, with stops at slower tempos and nods to 90s indie, as well as the sounds of Athens through the Greek-language track Thirio.

Recorded in stages over three years by Nikos Chalkousis at Lychnopolis studio, the transition from a raw lo-fi garage duo to a four-piece capturing reality with immediacy and attitude is reflected in the new compositions, both thematically and sonically. The songs on III are short stories that unfold in one breath. Echoing the pace of the times, they capture its contrasts with simple strokes — from the anxieties of late adolescence turning into adulthood to the new digital world that is both liberating and oppressive, and the dark yet alluring imagery of city streets.

by Alex Klimentopoulos for Afternoiz.gr