About
Hunger Anthem is an indie rock trio from Athens, Georgia with an unabashed penchant for distortion drenched, tightly executed power pop immediacy, deeply rooted in a lo-fi approach and ever-evolving, bearing an evident DIY punk rock work ethic and ethos. The first album was recorded on a Tascam 424 4-track by singer/guitarist Brendan Vaganek in a small apartment in Buffalo, NY which mostly contained just a noisy space heater, bottled water and some Canadian beer, and a couple rooms of scratched up hardwood floor space to see the winter through. A black Ludwig drum set and several scattered electric and acoustic guitars occupied the living area along with a pair of endlessly probing felines. A couple of microphones and a healthy pile of torn and well-written upon pieces of notebook paper sat on a table next to the humming tape machine with a pair of nearly blown out Sony headphones connected to it. Sidewalk voices seeped in through the windows from out in front of the house. Faces grinned, noises were confused, conversations glowed on and disappeared in seconds. That first self-titled album gained positive national and international attention, noted for its strong melodic nature, the cohesive juxtaposition of electric and acoustic tracks, and well-crafted lyrical imagery.
Their second release, Cut the Chord, was tracked in a short period of time at Triple Outlet Treehouse during one relentlessly scorching summer in Athens, GA. Most of the basic tracks were done live in one or two takes. The curious possum visitor that made frequent appearances can be seen on the cover hiding in the trees. Consistent discipline has kept the band on the road with tight, high energy live shows, forever grateful of friendships forged along the way, as well as the sum of moments and unfolding experiences of both the unexpected and the familiar. Their third record utilized the expanded potential and capabilities of Espresso Machine in Athens, GA, recorded by Mike Albanese (Maserati, Bit Brigade, The Bad Ends) and mastered by Joel Hatstat (Archers of Loaf, Jeff Rosenstock, Worriers). It’s upcoming on Cornelius Chapel Records.
“there is so much melody and punch pouring off their stage it’s difficult to describe it without totally geeking out” -Flagpole Magazine
“Hunger Anthem are a short, sharp reminder of when rock was allowed to be solely about the song, the buzz, the feel.” -ANBAD/UK
