HVSHI's 'Prescription, Pain & Lust' Review
TLDR: Brilliant. Stunning. Fun. Nostalgic yet innovative. Go see them at End of Summer Concert in Kalama, WA on Sept 28th, 2024 or November 15th, 2024 at The BAD Space in Salem, WA if you can. I'm so excited to see where this band goes.
The second EP in a year for HVSHI, ‘Prescription, Pain & Lust’ immediately starts with “Crashed Cars,” an upbeat punk pop song that is both reminiscent of all my favorite punk songs of the past but also still true to a pop punk/blues grunge sound that is unique to HVSHI. With catchy vocals, you’ll be singing along or enjoying the brilliant guitar riffs that honestly remind me of iconic blues songs but also sound so right along side the pop or punk vocals.
“B-Side” follows with a deeper tone but the upbeat tone remains the same. With Rio Wiley joining for this song, you still get the upbeat tone of HVSHI, but also a bit of a slower vibe that fits so well and transition brilliantly back into the catchy chorus that will keep you engaged and trying to sing along.
“Hate My Guts” comes on and I know immediately I’ll have this song on repeat. With a clever start, this brings a clever tone to a brilliant song that utilizes vocalist’s, Shaden Nugent, raspy voice in such a great way. Between a quick rhythm and some great lyrics, this song highlights so many of the band’s best abilities without overdoing it or throwing it in your face.
“Grew Up (Interlude)” changes tone rather drastically with a much lighter tone and a different vocal style from the start. It’s a fitting slower song in the EP that showcases the range this band has and it’s ability to make pop punk songs, blues riffs, and slower songs seamlessly.
“Dead Horse & A Carriage” starts with guitar and a quick drum beat that gets you engaged immediately. Combined with the equally quick vocals of Nugent, it’s a definite change of pace from the previous song that quickly brought of smile to my face. This is such a fun punk song that sounds like a perfect combination of all of my favorite punk artists while having a fun, engaging, and iconic punk guitar beat in the background perfectly balanced with the vocals. I know I said I would have “Hate My Guts" on repeat, but at this point I know the whole EP is going to stay on rotation.
“Let You Go” offers another slower start for this EP but it’s only to build you up to a brilliant pop punk chorus that I could absolutely see younger me cranking the volume up and screaming along to while driving around, windows down. With seemingly unclean vocals in the background towards the end of the song, this absolutely is a ‘volume up, windows down’ kind of song.
Title track “Prescription, Pain & Lust” closes out the EP. With this being one of their most radio played song, I’m excited to see how they close out their new EP. With a soft guitar to open, it’s a much more calm start than the rest of the songs, but it’s still as true to their sound as every other song on this EP. With a catchy as hell chorus, equally as catchy drum beats, it’s easy to see why this has gotten so much radio play.
Overall, I’m completely stunned by this EP. I listened with a smile on my face the entire time simply because of how this band has come together to create such a fantastic EP. “Prescription, Pain & Lust” has so much personality, honesty, and emotion balanced with clever vocals and amazing instrumentals. With Shaden Nugent for vocals, Davey Banks on bass, Chris Crimmins on guitar, and Cheyenne Vi on drums, I'm awed by the talent and passion of each one of them. I can see how much effort, joy, and passion has gone into this EP. I, genuinely, cannot recommend this EP enough. It’s a fantastic EP to put on at any point in the day and would be a great way to start the morning given how upbeat and catchy it is. I’m so proud of all the members of HVSHI for this EP and the effort they put into this.
I’m quick to recommend good artists to people and HVSHI has been consistently on the list. With a solid sound that reminds me of all my old favorite bands but with a new, unique, and somehow bluesy tone, it’s so fun and keeps me engaged consistently. Add that to the personality they share on their socials, their obvious talent, high energy shows, and down to earth personalities, they really are a great band to keep an eye on- and see live if you ever have the chance.
They’ll be playing the End of Summer Concert tomorrow (September 28th, 2024) in Kalama, WA or November 15th at The BAD Space in Salem, WA and if you can, you really should head out and see them live. They’re without a doubt one of those bands that people will be bragging about seeing in small venues when they’re headlining shows.
Author's note- All members of HVSHI are all quick to say thank you to those who have helped them get to where they are now. One of the first names out of their mouths every time I talk to them is their manager, Molly, as well as the whole team at Broken Heart Management. They also are quick to share the radio stations that have supported them like Alt-Daisy 93.3 and 101.5 The Blitz. They truly do speak so highly of those who have helped them and I would feel remiss not to include this in this review.