Photo by Michael Andrade

By DCist Contributor Alex Tebeleff

It’s immediately obvious at a Big Hush show that they have loyal and passionate fans. Their music is instantly captivating, wrapping you up like a blanket with fuzzy, shoegazey sonics that gently allow interesting, sweet harmonies to appear, cloud-like. Their new EP, Wholes, released by local cassette label DZ Tapes, is a slightly more open sounding affair than their previously released recordings. The EP allows the instrumental melodies to resonate directly, creating a balanced sound with a ton of energy bouncing behind the softer feeling, distorted sounding atmospherics.

According to Big Hush guitarist and vocalist Owen Wueker, the tape was “recorded straight to an 8-track reel-to-reel” by their old friend Andrew Aylward (who has recently been releasing some interesting music himself). No surprise, Wueker claims the band recorded all the instruments live in the room together. “These songs are ones that we actually got good at playing live before recording them, as opposed to earlier stuff that we recorded with overdubs and then started practicing as a band.”

The decision to record in this way was the right choice; the performances and harmonies are tight, but the record feels energetic, loose, and free. Throughout, Wholes simply feels great to listen to.

They’ll be celebrating the release of Wholes on a great bill at the new Dupont Circle house venue Babe City on Saturday, November 22nd. You can pick up the physical tape at one of their live shows, at the DZ Tapes merch store, or at Crooked Beat and Joint Custody.