The Hiss

Admittedly there are several Oasis tunes I won’t pass on if I hear them on the radio, when I ‘m alone, in my truck. Yeah, and I’ve got stacks of Zeppelin on the shelf, and I know the chorus to that ‘are you gonna be my girl‘ song. Truth be told, I need a Brit-pop/rock fix on a semi-regular basis. If you can relate, then we all have something in common with The Hiss from Hotlanta (does anybody call it that anymore?). The band is more Stonehenge than Stone Mountain, and if you like your post-punk delivered with the piss and vinegar lo-fi, fish and chips holler- these guys will never disappoint.

The latest release, Panic Movement, is riddled with anthems you’ll be tempted to use as the soundtrack for wrapping your Honda around a utility pole. It’s a fire drill in roughly 40 minutes ignited from the onset with “Clever Kicks,” the finest song to set the tone for a rock record I’ve heard all year. Followed by nine more tracks that take listeners pedal to the metal around I-285 in a tricked out Bentley without a muffler. “Lord’s Prayer” introduces itself with a ‘Sweet Emotion’-esque bass line that disappears abruptly, as the need to rock overwhelms. Lead singer Adrian Barrera declares at the top of his lungs, “I’ve been abused by you from my head to my snakeskin boots” and he warns the world to, “Just keep it reckless / or I’ll get restless” (look out). It won’t surprise me if you hear several songs from this record all summer on certain FM dials. Until then, you can fist pump and scream a sing-a-long in the shower this spring before they become yesterday’s news.