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When I heard Angela Hench’s work for the first time, I was impressed by the creativity of her style. Out of total obscurity, this singer unleashes a powerhouse performance like it’s just another walk in the park, and in her new single “Truth Hurts,” a cover of the Lizzo track, Hench demonstrates more of the organic qualities that won her massive critical approval just last year. There’s a lot that’s intentionally nostalgic about “Truth Hurts,” but the track nonetheless bears an almost postmodern feel that I would liken to a party track made for New Year’s Eve specifically, only its narrative looks forward rather than into the past. Melding elaborate subtext with a swingin’ instrumental backdrop that ignores the plasticity so many of her contemporaries are utilizing right now, this player proves she’s no simpleton in this unforgettable new cover.
I got chills from this vocal harmony the first time I sat down with the song, but it isn’t the only rhapsodic constituent of the material. Whether it’s the bones of the track or the unruly stylization of the delivery, Hench is going out of her way to distinguish her brand of swing from the stereotypical big band throwbacks look critics dismissed as outdated as recently as just this year. She’s her own artist, and here, we’re getting her desire to break away from the pack in virtually every angle “Truth Hurts” contains; starting of course with the venomous tone of her delivery
The music video upholds many of the same aesthetical standards its source material does, but with one crucial difference; its imagery isn’t steeped in such an experimental tone that we’re unable to appreciate the simplicity of watching the band do what they do best – play. This songstress knows her limits, and though she’s undisputedly operating at full capacity in this release, she isn’t exaggerating her presence to do it. That sort of amateurishness is beneath her, and if that were ever going to be up for debate ahead of “Truth Hurts,” I think it’s going to be completely off the table now. Her precision is marvelous, but not nearly as much as her actual vision is, which is essentially why this cover song of all things feels so much bigger than the song it should be.
If you’re not already listening to Angela Hench, you need to get into her sound via “Truth Hurts” this September. Untethered to an underground more intrigued by exploring aesthetical hybridity instead of the best elements of what made the classics the classics, Hench isn’t pretending to have a kinship with the rivals she’s made along the way in this performance. She’s shifting hard against the status quo in the name of making something truly expressive, and in the realm of indie music, hers remains one of the most exciting sounds I’ve had the opportunity to review in the past year or so. To me, this is a new standard for her and the band backing her up here, not to mention the scene they’re doing so much to champion.
Jennifer Munoz
