Rips

Audio Mixer: Bobby Harlow.Recording information: The Fidelitorium (04/2014).Photographer: Jonah Takagi.With Helium, Wild Flag, and her other projects, Mary Timony has played everything from feminist punk to subversive fairytale prog-pop. Over the years, she's made more room for fun in her music, and Rips proves just how good she is at it. While Helium had their share of sneakily catchy tunes, Ex Hex -- also featuring the Aquarium's Laura Harris on drums and the Fire Tapes' Betsy Wright on bass -- are much more melodic and direct than anything she's done before. Inspired by acts known for their massive hooks and choruses like Cheap Trick and Roxy Music, as well as early-'80s Top 40 hits, the trio makes well-worn rock poses and hooks come alive again on short, sharp blasts of songs filled with big guitars and "whoa oh oh" backing vocals. There's an inevitability to "Hot and Cold"'s strutting riffs, while Wright's "How You Got That Girl" is power pop brilliance worthy of Holly & the I