Indie Rock Hit Parade Live Session: Hussalonia

Hussalonia | Photo by Eric Schuman

Our latest Indie Rock Hit Parade live session comes courtesy of a mysterious “pop cult” from Buffalo, NY. Hussalonia, a division of Nefarico™, has been prolifically making music and other experiments since the late 1990s. Often releasing multiple albums per year (so far 2015 has seen five or six releases of one kind or another), Hussalonia’s generous output is marked by whip-smart lyrics and irresistible pop melodies. But as the Hussalonia Founder will tell you, pop does not mean popular. Joined by drummer Rob Lynch and bassist Jonathan Hughes, the elusive Hussalonia trekked down for an intimate studio session.

Beginning with “Lead A Horse,” off the newest album, Domesticoma, Hussalonia meld gentle percussion and precise guitar leads with a thundering stop-start chorus. One of the band’s best-known songs (thanks to a featured spot on the podcast Welcome To Night Vale), “Never Be Famous,” follows. Its lyrics may sound cutting and defeatist, but Hussalonia turns them into something inspiring and cathartic. Another new song, this one from an upcoming album, “Don’t (Stop Believin’),” takes a familiar refrain and turns it inside out. The session closes with another older tune, the alternately reserved and unhinged “I Now Doth Crazy Go.”

Stream the entire Hussalonia Indie Rock Hit Parade session below, and check out some photos from the studio: