AMG Review of Bitches Ain't Shit But Good People [EP]

Stephen Cramer
All Music Guide

Hella's abrasive and violent attack on predictability continued with the impressive and brief Bitches Ain't Shit But Good People EP, the band's debut on Seattle's Suicide Squeeze Records. After the loopy and exhaustingly short "Ho's in the House," Hella offers up a layered blitzkrieg of violent notes on the seven-plus minute title track, which unfolds into a chaotic festival of noise. "Rich Kid" is a staggering whirlwind of guitars, drums, and assorted programmed sounds, while "Elkan Since Republic of R+B" features the first vocals ever on a Hella track. D. Elkan vocalizes remarkable well over the musical discord, while guitarist Spencer Seim and drummer Zach Hill perform more of their arresting brand of experimental, impossible-to-classify brand of rock. The disc whetted the appetites of listeners until the band's next full-length.