Grungy, heavy riffs are making one heck of a big comeback as 2020 winds down to a close, and under the command of artists like Greg Hoy in the song “Can You Take It?,” these riffs couldn’t sound much more original and refreshing to come across right now. Hoy works a mammoth guitar part into the very substance of his message in “Can You Take It?,” and although this isn’t the first stimulating rocker to enter his discography it is definitely a candidate for being one of the best and most complete he’s released in his career so far.

Greg Hoy: https://thegreghoy.com/

Aside from a brief cameo from Ice-T, the music video for “Can You Take It?” is actually pretty stripped-down conceptually and missing much of the luxurious fluff that a lot of other content geared towards a similar audience would be filled with. It seems like Hoy is determined to put a lot of the emphasis on efficiency much in a way she was denies just a few short years ago. Structure counts for something as much as the literal presence of a prop does, and we’re reminded of as much simply when sitting down with the complete depth of a track like this one.

The percussion here could use a bit more kick than it’s already got, but other than this the cosmetics of “Can You Take It?” are actually pretty tip-top from what I can hear. Just because we’re being barebones with regards to the very notion of indulgence doesn’t mean we’re stamping out color that a player like Hoy can muster up in the heat of a harmonious battle, and to some extent that feels like another layer in the narrative of this song. It’s definitely multi-interpretive, which is something I’m not normally able to say about a lot of the neighbors in our neighborhood.

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/cacophony-1-ep/1532323975?i=1532323980&ign-gact=3&ls=1

Rock fans with a penchant for murky melodies of the best kind should make a point of checking out what California’s Greg Hoy is cooking up in the new single “Can You Take It?” as well as its all-new music video, both of which are out now. This year has left critics around the globe less than satisfied with the lack of live music, but thanks to the likes of artists on the underground – Hoy among them – this December is actually turning up some good tunes to try and compensate for an otherwise abysmal 2020. This is a gem, and I definitely recommend it.

John McCall