ALBUM REVIEW: Molly Vulpyne Band – Houndstooth And The Hum (FOAD Music)
Dublin-based singer-songwriter Molly McKernan is one half of garage-punk duo Vulpynes, who have been plying their trade for the last decade, releasing a handful of vigorous EPs.
Her debut solo EP Amortise, a more stripped-down affair, came out in 2024, and this is her first full-band release, with a cast of Irish punk veterans along for the ride.
Guitarist Peter Jones (Paranoid Visions), drummer Jay Bagnall (Paranoid Visions, Steve Ignorant Band), and bassist Tony Carberry (The Lee Harveys) were meant to be on board for just one gig, but that snowballed into an album and a run of festivals and gigs across the UK and Ireland.
Part-punk, part-alternative, the Molly Vulpyne Band are difficult to pigeonhole. This debut album is an enjoyable smorgasbord of fury and vulnerability; just when you think you’ve got them figured out, they’re off in another direction.
Opening track and lead single Hook is full of big riffs but carries an emotional message about relationships, while It Don’t Fit is about not fitting into a 9-5 existence and struggling to find your place.
Inertia Right Hand Man, a beefed-up full band version of a track from the Amortise EP, channels prime PJ Harvey, I Wanna Be Your Filter has huge pop sensibility, with a rocky breakdown, but things are more morose on 14, where Molly mourns her grandad against sparse electric guitar.
My Expiry, another single, is one of the standout songs, full of chugging punk rock guitar, and sticking a defiant middle finger up at the frankly ludicrous notion that you’re past your best at 30, with Molly insisting “I’ve still got it in me.”
Ripe slows things down again, but is packed with more chunky riffs, while Ur A Fad is a nod to those in the music industry who value style over substance and ego over art. “You want fame so bad, so bad/You’re a victim, ask yourself – why are you so sad? So sad.”
Ode To Your Farewell is a gloriously rowdy way to end the album, a kiss off to a toxic friendship which reminds me of ’90s US grunge rockers Hole.
Just when you think we’re done there’s a hidden track, Houndstooth And The Hum, a thought-provoking spoken word piece about not caring about societal expectation in this performative digital age.
It’s an album which reveals a new layer of complexity on every listen, and I’ve added the Molly Vulpyne Band to my must-see list for this year’s Rebellion. 8/10.
- Houndstooth And The Hum is available on vinyl, CD, cassette and digitally. Check it out at Molly Vulpyne’s Bandcamp page HERE.
