Supergroups can be a recipe for disaster. Too many egos, too many ideas—it can go sideways real fast. But The Hard Quartet isn’t that. It’s a passion project where you can feel the respect between these heavyweights. You’ve got Stephen Malkmus (Pavement, The Jicks) bringing his signature nonchalance, Matt Sweeney (Chavez, Superwolf) laying down those crunchy riffs, Jim White (Dirty Three) keeping things loose on drums, and Emmett Kelly (The Cairo Gang, Ty Segall) mixing in his ethereal guitar and vocals. They didn’t come here to prove anything.

Their debut album is 15 tracks of pure, unfiltered rock. No overproduced crap, no commercial sheen—just raw energy. It creeps into your ears and settles into your bones. You can’t shake it. It’s so tight. The guitars are beefy, the rhythms are a little off-kilter, and the lyrics? They’re playful, poetic, and a little trippy. Malkmus’s surreal wordplay is front and center, pulling you in with lines that hit you sideways—like a well-aimed punch to the gut.

Songs like Heel Highway and Six Deaf Rats really stand out. Malkmus’s vocals here are delicate but packed with punch. These tracks give off serious Velvet Underground vibes. The guitar work from Kelly and Sweeney meshes perfectly, alternating between sharp stabs and smooth glides.

“Action for Military Boys” showcases the band's knack for twisting rock into unpredictable shapes. Malkmus channels 70s’ rock vibes through weirdly syncopated, topsy-turvy time signatures, only to snap into a sudden Strokes-like groove that hits like a left hook. It’s weird, it’s fun, and it works.

The album title list alone—Action for the Military Boys, Killed by Death, Thug Dynasty—tells you everything you need to know about their headspace. It’s not just about making some noise. There’s a message here, one that touches on chaos, resistance, and survival. But it’s never heavy-handed. These guys trust their audience to figure it out.

By the time you get to the end of this album, it feels like you’ve just been through a jam session with some legends who couldn’t care less about mainstream approval. The Hard Quartet isn’t just a one-off side project. It’s a love letter to rock from four musicians who’ve already carved their names into its history. And honestly? That’s what makes it great.

Order The Hard Quartet HERE