Ex Hex - It’s Real (digital single) (Merge, 2019)

Ex Hex
It’s Real (digital single)
Merge
2019

Rating: 8 tongue mothers out of 10

“On The Mouth” is one of the all-time best Superchunk songs.  Curiously, it was not actually included on their album “On The Mouth,” but rather was a b-side to the “Mower” single.  This always seemed like a strange choice to me…such a fantastic, up tempo jam, and one that is still a staple of their live shows.  Given their years of success it’s hard to argue with the decisions of Mac, Laura, and company, but this one always seemed like a strange oversight. 

None of that really has anything to do with my thoughts on this Ex Hex single “It’s Real,” other than the similarity in that this song is also not part of the record that shares it’s same name.  And my also finding it very curious.  It’s a very good song also, maybe not one of their very best as was the case with “On The Mouth,” but it certainly would have fit in fine on the full length “It’s Real.” Also, it’s kind of confusing, because now when I refer to “It’s real” you have to note if you’re talking about the album or the single.  THESE ARE SERIOUS LIFE PROBLEMS PEOPLE. 

Oh yeah, the b-side of this single is a great Slant 6 cover, “What Kind Of Monster Are You?”  If you don’t know Slant 6 you would totally believe this was an Ex Hex song, it sounds like something they would have written.  Note to self: listen to more Slant 6.  

Hopefully these two tracks make their way to wax at some point – I’d gladly buy the seven inch of this.  Until then, you can grab it from their Bandcamp here.