Hunx & His Punx

There has to be something in the San Francisco water that drives artists to produce. Bay area musicians such as Ty Segall, Sonny Smith and now Seth Bogart have released a staggering amount of material over the last few years, all of it good to great. Street Punk (Seth Bogart's follow-up to last year's solo outing, Hairdresser Blues) finds the queer garage troubadour reuniting with the Punx (specifically Shannon and the Clams' Shannon Shaw) for a collection of "hateful punk songs." He turns down the "Hunx" part of the moniker, opting to forgo the more in-your-face gender bending of the past, and concentrates on the "Punx" part, which includes a worthy cover of the Beastie Boys classic "Egg Raid on Mojo." The one-two punch of the blistering "Bad Skin," an ode to acne, and "Everyone's a Pussy (Fuck You Dude)," which kicks off the record gives a good indication of the lo-fi hardcore they're going for this time out. As promised, Bogart steers clear of the vintage '60s sound he and Shaw built their names upon; Shaw's songs, in particular, sound like lost X classics. This switch in sonic templates doesn't blunt Bogart's rapscallion personality, though, which ultimately is what lies at the heart of his music.