Despite being relative newcomers to the scene ARXX have been making waves with their combination of upbeat punk spirit and slick pop production values for the last few years. On their debut album Ride or Die singer/guitarist Hanni Pidduck and drummer Clara Townsend polish their signature sound into a unique and powerful voice.
ARXX begin as they mean to go on with catchy, country rock infused opening track ‘Baby Uh Huh’. Channelling their inner Dolly Parton, Pidduck croons through a song that highlights the band’s unique voice with layers of guitars, reverb drenched vocals and punchy drums that cut through the mix. As one of the lighter, poppier tracks on the album, ‘Baby Uh Huh’ makes for an interesting statement of intent, gently preparing the listener for the coming alt-rock bangers.
One of the many standout tracks on Ride or Die is the single ‘Deep’. With a swaggering, staccato guitar riff and lilting vocals this track toes the line between ethereal pop and hard hitting modern rock for a unique, radio ready song. If there’s one track that sums up ARXX’s vibe it’s this, with sexually empowered lyrics, a catchy, danceable chorus and punchy rock instrumentation. If you only listen to one song from Ride or Die, make it this one.
The title track is another easy highlight, a crunchy alt-rock hit with swaggering punk energy. Leaving no beat wasted, it dives right in with a cutting, distorted guitar riff and powerful, confident vocals before building tension to the dynamic, deceptively simple yet incredibly lively chorus. ‘Ride or Die’ is the rare tightly written, succinct rock song that doesn’t waste a single moment of it’s runtime, clocking in at less than 3 minutes but packing in so many great little details, from the backing vocals in the second verse to the tasteful organ in the bridge and the perfectly placed rest right before the chorus drops to break the tension. It’s a sign of great songwriting if a chorus is singable after just one listen; on Ride or Die ARXX took this as a challenge and keep you singing the whole track for weeks after hearing it.
Joining ARXX are fellow queer indie rockers Pillow Queens on the tracks ‘Call Me Crazy’ and ‘Stuck On You’. The former builds up slowly with a bouncy guitar line, and serene vocal melodies backed by huge sounding, 80s inspired drums before stacking layer upon layer of peaceful, beautiful vocal harmonies with help from Pillow Queens’ singers Sarah Corcoran and Pamela Connolly. The latter has a more intimate, subdued feel to many of the others on the album, forming the piece around Pidduck’s voice and a single, droning guitar line with subtle, muffled drums reminiscent of a calm heartbeat and ethereal backing vocals from Corcoran and Connolly.
Boldly closing the album is a reworked version of ARXX’s 2019 single ‘Iron Lung’ with tighter, more dynamic production and the punk energy turned up to 11. Showing the duo’s progression in the last few years, this new version throws away the original’s barebones approach and replaces it with a wall of noise, bringing in backing vocals, synth harmonies and deafening drums that punch through the mix. It showcases Pidduck’s bold, confident, vocal style far better than the original, throwing all subtlety to the wind and embracing a more dynamic, powerful style than the original’s grungier delivery. While the original has its own merits, with a more down to earth, garage rock energy, this updated re-envisioning brings across the vision of the track far better and overall feels more developed.
Ride or Die is a staggering accomplishment for a debut album, with deeply layered production and incredibly catchy and profound songwriting. ARXX bring together the best parts of indie, alt-rock, punk and modern pop to create a masterclass in guitar driven rock.