Having recently stumbled upon HoZac Records I thought it was time to give the label a mention on the blog. Based in Chicago in the US – they’ve been releasing 7″ singles since the end of 2006. In just over 2 years they have racked up an impressive 26 single releases – each seems to come in a variety of editions, be it Gold or different sleeve or different coloured vinyl. My introduction to the label was via Dum Dum Girls as she has just released a limited single on their 2009 HoZac Hookup Klub! a 7″ singles club. The club is for 10 limited 45′s by: DUM DUM GIRLS, IDLE TIMES, WOVEN BONES, ART THIEVES, WHITE MYSTERY, MOTHER OF TEARS, FLIGHT, TEEPEE, BOX ELDERS and TEETH. After listening to a couple of the bands I took the plunge and hooked up for the singles club. The first three recently arrived.

The sound that label goes for in a big way seems to be lo-fi garage rock. This is music that satisifies your soul. The first record of the three I played was the Dum Dum Girls 7″. The ‘A’ side is called ‘Longhair’ and it’s fine record that sounds like it was recorded in a an echo rich room – not disimilar to the Knight School release we have recently put out. After listening to more records on the label – it seems the Dum Dum Girls are probably the least representative of their overall sound – the ethos is DIY all the way with a more garage rock n roll sound being the favourite flavour. Next up was the 7″ by Idle Times. The ‘A’ side is called ‘Million Miles Away’ and it’s a lo-fi rock’n'roll record with a beautiful guitar sound. Possibly recalling The Gories, possibly not. It certainly works the louder you play the record. The flip side is ‘Whatever Works For You’ and it’s a slower affair – but again the sound is enhanced by increased volume. The final record of the three from the Singles club is probably my favourite of the three. It’s by Woven Bones and both songs ‘With You Alone’ and ‘Sitting Sick’ are gorgeous sub stooges rock’n'roll. They sound immense and this is just the sort of sound I have been craving lately – it’s undeniably lo-fi. But it rocks. And it rocks in a way that is hard to do in 2009. It sounds brash, fresh and exciting whilst obviously paying a debt to the past.

I’ve since started to buy any available records I can find that the label has released. I think I’ve got the HoZac Records bug. Sadly this Hook-Up club is completely sold out at the moment. I believe label intend to issue all the songs from the club on CD (LP?) – in the future. Even more sadly – some of their early 7″ singles seem to be sold out. The hunt begins.

Link: HoZac Records