Stocky Tunes (2021)
Josephine & Hershguy
During the height of immigration to Ellis Island, New York City quickly became the face of multiculturalism, rich with representation from countries on all ends of the globe. In 2021, New York City has something for everyone. It is an unpredictable city with endless diversity, and of course, a massive amount of versatile music. Stocky Tunes, the first LP from Hershguy & Josephine, is a great rock ‘n roll representation of American multiculturalism. Pulling influence from decades of music in and out of rock ‘n roll, as well as each of their individual personalities, the 13 track debut plays out like a venn diagram of two brilliant artists.
(Left: Hershguy, Right: Josephine)
Even setting both of their recent solo records aside, neither Hershguy nor Josephine are new to the DIY scene in New York. Hersh has been the drummer of four-piece rock band Dirty Fences for roughly a decade. He is also the drummer of Metalleg, the brainchild of fellow Fences member, Max Comaskey, along with frequent collaborator Nat Brower on bass. Since then, Nat Brower has released solo music under his surname Brower, utilizing Hersh as a drummer. Brower also tapped into the ridiculous musicianship of Josephine for live shows, adding a second set of lead guitar to bring even more glam to his already nostalgia coated concert setting. All of these overlapping collaborations serve as the foundation of this individual project.
Josephine got her start in power-pop worship group The Jeanies, and later on the similarly influenced Velveteen Rabbit, which serves as a testament to the wild range of her strength as a lead guitarist. Brower & Hersh have collaborated on and off for years, but when Josephine was factored into their collective, the entire catalog swerved into unchartered genre territory. Her musicianship is most apparent at live shows, where she can showcase her unique ability to shred maniacally fast. To add proper context to this skill set, Josephine has spent time in the pandemic actively posting videos of herself playing along to beloved jazz guitarists such as Grant Green, mirroring every note in his signature Blue style. Witnessing her excel at music across genres makes me wonder “is there anything she can’t do on guitar”?
Since the rise of Brower and co, Josephine began the Josephine Network, a solo endeavor which tapped into Brower once again and spurred a core live act with the same artists alternating instruments depending on the bill. The Josephine Network debut Music is Easy surfaced as an introduction to the chaotic set of genres covered by this unit of artists. Most recently, Hersh released his debut as a standalone solo act, Hershguy, entitled POPROCKS. His oddball project oscillates between lo-fi punk and straightforward synth pop on almost every other track; none of which sounds even remotely close to any of the bands he has played with. Their alternating lead artist catalog is a reflection of a movement that deserves far more attention than it has received.
Clocking in at just under 30 mins, Hersh & Josephine created a conglomerate of every sound they have ever forged as individuals, with others, and with each other. At the forefront of this argument is the theory that both of these visionaries have listened to exclusively different and also very similar music for their entire lives; another venn diagram of personalities integral to this project. Even with the most minimal amount of research, one can pretty quickly figure out who pushed what creative portion on the record, but by the end of “Bonne Soirée”, the album closer, they also display an unparalleled amount of chemistry as a duo.
(Left: Josephine, Right: Hershguy)
Stocky Tunes is fun from start to finish. It is packed full of niche references to Judaism accompanied by Yiddish lyrics. Josephine’s vocal delivery is comparable to an alternate universe in which her Jewish grandmother is Elvis Costello and her father is Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes. The entire aesthetic is bizarre on paper, but a major selling point for the record overall. The proud resemblance of cultural Judaism on Stocky Tunes doesn’t even scratch the surface of the plethora of polarizing subcultures that appear on this record.
The album opener, “Passerelle”, feels like it was ghost written by Meg Thee Stallion. Josephine’s humorous explicit lyrics paint the Stocky crew as sex symbols, and while the topic isn’t a rarity in pop music, it is a brilliant way to open a rock record in 2021. The satire is backed by Hersh locked into a vigorously tight drum break. This is the first of a collection of examples that showcase Hershguy’s skill as a drummer in a way that he never has before. As their sound rapidly changes across the record, it forces him to adapt and play in whatever style chosen per track. In so many words, whatever skill set Josephine has developed over her career as a guitarist, Hersh skillyfully matches on the drums. Regarding musicianship alone, these two rockers align closer to John McLaughlin & Jack DeJohnette in interconnected skill sets. It’s unclear whether or not this album was taken seriously as a structured project or if they just made it on a whim, but again, it’s like they can’t help playing extremely well and tight knit.
The fourth track, “This is Track 11”, is the farthest the duo strays from humor on the album. Apart from the lyrical body of the song, which is a charismatic “This is track 11/fuck 12!”, this is a obvious album highlight. “Track 11” as a single track plays out in a fashion that molds element’s of Paul Simon’s Graceland with peak David Byrne influence. Hersh stylistically pushes the tempo up a bit on “Track 11”, but his drumming edges closer to jazz drumming than rock n’ roll. Specifically, during the chorus Hersh moves from the hi-hat to a groove on the ride, which pushes the track to an anthemic level.
The second to last piece of Stocky Tunes, “Heads”, is another anthem, driven this time by friendship rather than political frustration or sex. The energy that drives “Heads” is synonymous with a soundtrack to an 80’s problem-solving montage. The lyrics seem simple, but allude to something more telling when stepping back and examining their place amidst the rest of the record; and where this record fits into the discography of this overarching artistic story. “Let’s put our heads together” is a powerful statement, especially in the powerful harmony from Josephine and Hershguy.
There is a fondness for simplicity and minimalism that drives a good amount of the music from Josephine, Hershguy, and their associated acts. This is the biggest consistency in any of these projects. Even in changing up the personnel on stage or the underlying genre per record, the simplicity in all of this music points to a formula that each of these artists have comfortably found their footing in. Stocky Tunes is just one portion of this formula. It’s a great record, and it pushes an air of very genuine excitement around whatever this collective creates in the future.
(Pictured Above: Hershguy & Stocky Tunes LPs)
Stocky Tunes is out now via DIG! Records — purchase it here!
©Total Trash Ltd, 2021
