Born in the back of a Chevy Blazer and raised by destruction, HOOCH don’t play music. They detonate it. Their full-length debut FREELOADER, out April 18 on Indica Records, is a raw nerve of blown speakers, blackout memories, and back-alley anthems. It’s a soundtrack for bar fights, bad decisions, and the unrelenting hangover of real life — and it might be the best decision this band has ever made.
Led by frontman Gabriel Bower, who credits the album’s creation to crawling out of addiction and debt, FREELOADER is a personal exorcism. “I used to be a bit of a maniac,” Bower says. “The lyrics in CRASH MY CAR, TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT, and NOOSE come from a time when I ran away from music, thinking it would never be real for me. This album is everything that built up while I was out running.”
The album’s lead single CRASH MY CAR is a Molotov cocktail of bravado and breakdowns. “I’m gonna crash my car / Just like the movie stars / Snort cocaine off my Balenciaga,” Bower snarls over a riot of guitars. “I’m gonna take my pain right to the liquor store / Find a way to always keep me wanting more.” It’s part fantasy, part confession — and all fire.
The second single TEKILLYA hits with the subtlety of a broken bottle, packing punk snarls, surf riffs, and rabbit metaphors into just over a minute of mayhem. “Hey little rabbit / You better stay out of my garden,” the track spits, daring you to flinch. And if you blink, it’s already moved on to something weirder and wilder.
Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/album/5BcT5kw0FR0z7GH07otMIH
HOOCH is made up of five snarling personalities from Halifax: Gabriel Bower (vocals, guitar), Neil LeMoine (bass, vocals), Andrew Matthews (drums), Morgan Zwicker (guitar), and Kathryn McCaughey (keys, vocals) — a crew with enough backstories to fill a crime blotter and enough talent to blow the roof off any club from Montreal to Moncton. And with Peter Edwards on mixing and Ryan Morey on mastering, FREELOADER doesn’t sound just dangerous — it sounds huge.
The band’s touring like they’re on the run:
May 22 – Haven Music Hall, Saint John, NB
May 23 – Xeroz Arcade, Moncton, NB
May 24 – The Tower, Kentville, NS
May 31 - Fairview Legion, Halifax, NS
July 11 – Gus’ Pub, Halifax, NS
Tracks like NOOSE and WHEN THE DAY COMES peel back the chaos and reveal the real stakes: depression, addiction, desperation. "Sometimes it makes you wanna die / Just tryin’ to get it right sometimes," Bower sings on NOOSE, while WHEN THE DAY COMES chokes on the line: "Hey buddy, you ain't gonna make it now." It’s pure punk poetry with no filter and no forgiveness.
FREELOADER is the album you blast when you’ve got nothing left to lose — and everything to scream about. From the thunder of W.A.C.T.F to the black comedy of NIMPH, HOOCH balances bloodshot honesty with blistering riffs, all soaked in whiskey, sweat, and gasoline.
This is garage rock for the reckless, the ragged, and the real. No polish. No pretense. Just HOOCH.
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