Hit - “Nu Jangle”

Jangle is the best and purest sound that the modern guitar can make. It gained an aural foothold on pop music in the 1960s thanks in large part to the popularity of the Beatles and The Byrds, which continued on for decades thanks to the success of bands like R.E.M. and The Gin Blossoms. Though it’s lost its foothold among the masses, the sound has thrived in underground circles. But how do bands these days manage to keep it fresh and sounding NU? 

Enter “Nu Jangle,” Hit’s nu fangled contribution to the chiming 12-string canon. Craig Heed, the mastermind behind Hit, is no stranger to putting a new spin on old favorites, especially with this project. With their early output, Heed experimented with the boundaries of conventional song structures on tracks like “Vanderbilt” through dynamite and cacophonous twin guitar interplay that ventured high into the stratosphere, but still managed to have a sharp pop bite. Heed cleans up his guitar tone a little bit on “Nu Jangle,” letting his dozen stringed Danelectro do most of the talking. But true to his avant-garde proclivities, the song isn’t without a quirky, experimental bent. The song includes strategically placed swells of guitar intensity, which are nicely counterbalanced by a stretch of isolated vocals.

As it turns out, “Nu Jangle” isn’t just a genre/tone descriptor. The multi-talented Heed also animated a video, which stars an endearing bowhunter named Ted Nujangle. The video’s narrative follows Nujangle on a journey of self-realization and revenge, as he comes face to face with the realities of his actions while also encountering various critters along the way.

Watch the video below!

Catch Hit tomorrow night at the Stone Circle Theatre in Ridgewood, Queens. They’ll be performing live and screening the video in its entirety. Tickets are available now!

“Nu Jangle” hits streaming platforms tomorrow. You can also check out Hit’s music on Bandcamp. Keep up with the project by following them on Instagram.

Hit. Photo by Annie Fell.