They Mean Us

The Ladies

After being introduced to Hella and the unique, mesmerizing drum work of Zach Hill, I was opened up to a new world of musician weirdos that really pushed the boundaries of what it meant to play music. It was truly mind-expanding stuff and I needed more. Luckily, I would go on to learn that Zach Hill had his hand in so many great bands and projects, creating a portfolio that is truly prolific. The Ladies' They Mean Us is one of the earliest Hella-adjacent Zach Hill projects I was introduced to and it is one of my favourites. He teams up on this one with another prolific creator Rob Crow, known for his contributions to beloved indie-pop band Pinback, as well as a myriad of other zany projects (his stoner metal project Goblin Cock is particularly fun).

They Mean Us serves as a happy medium between both artists' respective worlds. The drumming is still furious as Zach Hill continues to whip up a tornado behind the kit, but that initial shock is dulled by some less frenetic, instantly catchy guitars, and Crow's charming voice. The duo also covers a lot of territory in such a short time. Rob Crow meets Zach Hill more than halfway on the more math rock tinged Nice Chaps, Buddy. So Much For the Fourth Wall goes into a little more of a shoegaze direction with the chorused acoustic guitars, the thick distorted guitars, and the somewhat watery vocals. There's even sort of a tender jam on here in the form of Non-Threatening. Rob Crow, softly whispers as he strums his acoustic guitar; giving off chill, bedroom vibes. Now of course, Zach Hill can't just play a simple beat over this. He plays a characteristically insane kick and tom groove that still manages to fit into the song. I can see many arguing that Zach Hill just flails and rarely serves the interest of the song, but in this case, I simply cannot agree. Even though the beat is very muscular, he could have easily sent crashing cymbals down to disrupt the whole tone, however, he shows that he still has a musical ear and can show restraint, in his own unique way.

My two favourite songs are easily Black Caeser / Red Sonja and Empathy On a Stick, which both have very similar characteristics. I feel like they have this 60s, 70s classic rock flair with some prog freakouts in the middle. The drum beats are a little more straight but still feature Hill's signature, fancy footwork. While Black Caeser / Red Sonja's' main riff is no where near as flashy, the guitars in both tracks are still insanely catchy.

There are really only two drawbacks to this record; the album's length and the final track. The final track is not bad but when the record is delivering one fantastic punch of experimental indie-rock after another, a twelve minute prog jam is not necessarily how you want to end things. As for the album's length, if you take away the lengthy closer and the three quick interludes that pad the tracklist - which are still pretty awesome, don't get me wrong - you are only left with twenty minutes of material. If They Mean Us had one or two more bangers on it, then this record would be nothing short of truly remarkable. Regardless, I hope you'll give this one a shot as there are many points of entry to this thing. If you are a fan of Zach Hill or you like to nerd out on really cool drum parts, then you have to listen to this one. If you are not so much into the frenetic and wilder side of math rock, but still appreciate some more left-of-center sounds, then this might also be for you. Or if you're just in the market for some groovy and catchy indie-pop with a little rock edge, then They Mean Us is what you are looking for.