Those Hounds Premiere New Single: “You Shouldn’t Be Here”

Detroit rock quartet finds their balance amid intensity.

The urgency in a song like “You Shouldn’t Be Here” by Detroit-based quartet Those Hounds evokes the same sense of urgency as a pulse-raising evacuation from a swiftly collapsing haunted house. Or a single engine jet trying to take off in the middle of a class-5 tornado touching down on the runway. Or a long stride running escape over a wooden bridge above a lava moat with slats falling away at each step. Or maybe it’s just an exciting sound in itself. Whatever it is, it clearly ignites the imagination.

What stands out is Those Hounds’ knack for channeling intensity and arranging it into their own signature blend of alternative rock, noisy grunge, and neo-psychedelic shreds. It’s their keen sensibilities for dynamics that help conjure those cinematic descriptors imagined above.

Ivan Fargo, Kevin Beattie and Charlie King started releasing songs and performing shows as Those Hounds four years ago, releasing their Matrimony EP in 2017. Three months ago, they became a quartet, with the addition of guitarist Joe Sausser (who also plays in Savage Seven).

Those Hounds self-identify as “feedback connoisseurs,” relying on meticulously sculpted cacophony to curtain their tunes. Aside from that, Fargo said that he’s never had a good descriptor for the band, though they’re aware of their residency in a middle ground between alt-rock, post-hardcore punk, and “stoner rock.” What they are certain of, above all, is their undeniably voluminous presentation, but if you’re listening to this particularly lively track on headphones today, you can key into those careful dynamics, a balance of the bedlam.

Click the audio player above to hear the WDET exclusive premiere of “You Shouldn’t Be Here”. The band will be releasing it as an A-side/B-side split later in the summer, followed later in the year by a full-length album. You can see Those Hounds this Saturday, May 11 at Sanctuary Detroit and Saturday, June 8 at Sanctuary Detroit with Oozing Wound, Dead Hour Noise, and Deeper Graves.

Author

  • Jeff Milo
    Jeff Milo is the host of "MI Local" on 101.9 WDET. He's a longtime music journalist documenting the Michigan scene for 20 years.