Boo Hag- “Testify” Album Release
Columbia, S.C.
Blues-rock duo Boo Hag has been making moves across the region for the past year or so, mainly powered by their intense live shows. Their music is a style that’s raw, gritty, and sweaty, but the simplicity of the blues-style riffs over the deep pound of the drums makes for a very primal and cohesive package that they list as “Swamp Punk.” Fits perfectly in my opinion.
2018 brings a new album from Boo Hag, in their release of “Testify.” The six track album is referenced by the band as “Southern Gothic Gospel,” and the opening track, “Sacrifice,” is exactly as foot-stomping and hand-clapping as you could wish, provided that you’re in a circle around a fire at a sacrificial ceremony. The production on the album is open and brooding. The reverb and distortion on the layered guitars, with the reverb and deep pound of the drums, and gritty vocals that nestle into the mix make the album sound like it was recorded live, perhaps in some old abandoned church like the one pictured on the album. Visions of Pentecostal snake-handlers, and sweaty summer sermons come into mind.
There’s an encroaching anxiety in the album, almost a “fight or flight” mentality that looms. The field-recorded sounds of rolling thunder and rain, combined with cicadas and the march-inducing drums brings the listener to what can only be described as an open field in some southern expanse. The question is what or who is lurking in the surrounding trees. There’s a constant “circling” feeling, especially in songs like “Death” and “Crown.”
This release by Boo Hag, seems to me to be a well constructed record, largely in terms of mood, style, and imagery. The arrangements, as well as the production efforts on the album perform an instrumental part in creating the overall attitude of the album, a sign of a mature vision. I look forward to, and recommend seeing the band live in support of “Testify.” Previous performances I have seen for the band’s previous work, “Further” (2017), was strong, tight, and dirty. I can imagine with the work they’ve put in over the last year, they’re an act to catch. Testify!
-CSuther
“Testify,” by Boo Hag – View on BandCamp
