The Hussy embraces change

• Brett Stepanik
• The vocal sharing two-piece — for the time being — Hussy features drummer Heather Sawyer and guitarist Bobby Hussy.

Bobby Hussy has expanded his rock ’n’ roll horizons since Madison, Wis. garage-punk duo the Hussy formed in 2008. Along the way, the full-time guitar slinger and part-time vocalist has become a synth player and collaborator with the likes of Nobunny and Digital Leather, while growing as a musician and producer.

A two-piece also featuring drummer and co-vocalist Heather Sawyer, the Hussy has been prolific since its first two 7-inches were issued in 2009. The group's fourth album, Galore , will be issued June 30 by Southpaw Records, while a whopping 10th 7-inch is also on the way via Volar Records.

Early recordings, including 2011 debut LP Cement Tomb Mind Control, captured a raw, full-volume take on grimy garage-punk. A year later, aptly titled follow-up album Weed Seizure took the band’s punk leanings down a more psychedelic path. Galore’s shift to a more pop-accessible take on modern garage sounds, and is a bolder jump due to one simple addition — bass parts on each song. “For years we were like no bass, ever,” Hussy explains. “But we started doing lots of guitar overdubs, and we did that record with Digital Leather where there was synth bass on everything… I put bass on it because why would we do guitar and keyboard overdubs, but not bass?”

With recent changes helping shape one of the Hussy’s strongest releases to date, more curveballs may be on the way. “I think we’re going to add a third member to play baritone guitar,” he adds. “Maybe it’s time to do something new with the band. When we were younger, we said we’d never add a third person, but bands evolve over time.”

In addition to touring as the Hussy, both members backed notorious garage showman Nobunny throughout 2014. “It seemed like everyone on that tour thought it was a special time,” Bobby says. “All the people thought we were really tight. Justin (Champlin) is looking for a permanent band now in Chicago, and Heather and I are trying to do our thing. But I’d love to do that again, given the chance.”

When he’s not playing rock ’n’ roll with the Hussy or fellow Madison band Fire Retarded, Bobby Hussy has also developed an affinity for synthesizers, recording a synth-only solo project called Cave Curse. “I’ve been trying to make alternative sounding things that are outside of my comfort zone,” Hussy says. It’s not Hussy’s first synth project, as he already has collaborated with Shawn Foree of Digital Leather under the name Tit.

Much of Hussy’s experimentation and musical growth is the result of accumulating nice recording equipment. “I’m at a place in my life I never thought I’d be where I have the gear in my house I’d request an engineer to have in a studio anyway,” he says.

At a time when some of the Hussy’s peers from the late aughts have either grown stagnant or moved away from garage-punk, the band’s evolving sound keeps things fresh amid such a lengthy string of releases. Based on the strides the band shows on Galore, Hussy’s openness to change looks to keep the group's sound forever moving forward.

The Hussy, Lowbanks, the Mumzees, and Immaculate Collection (members of Del Venicci, Shepherds) play 529 on Mon., June 15. Donations. 9 p.m. 529 Flat Shoals Ave. www.529atlanta.com.