Bat Fangs

Bat Fangs unites Ex Hex's Betsy Wright with Speed Stick's Laura King in a fresh take on the weighty, melody-driven textures of 1980s hard rock. Their 2018 self-titled debut delivered a strutting reinterpretation of hair metal and glam that placed women at the forefront, while Queen of My World, issued in 2021, expanded those massive riffs and even larger choruses with psychedelic accents.

The pair first connected in 2016 during a tour that found Wright performing alongside Ex Hex and King drumming for Superchunk's Matt McCaughan, whose Non-Believers solo project shared the bill. Friendship quickly formed, and once Ex Hex entered an extended hiatus, the two began trading song demos before convening to rehearse in a Washington, D.C. space. A handful of early live appearances convinced them they possessed the material for a complete album, so they headed to Kentucky to track the songs with Mike Montgomery at Candyland Studio. Lead single "Wolfbite" surfaced that same year, previewing a collection filled with sweeping arcs and commanding riffs, a direction reinforced by follow-up single "Rock the Reaper." Don Giovanni issued the self-titled debut in February 2018, after which Bat Fangs supported the release by touring North America with Superchunk. Following the release of Ex Hex's It's Real in 2019 and Speed Stick's Volume One in 2021, Wright and King reconvened as Bat Fangs to complete their sophomore effort, Queen of My World, which arrived in October 2021 and further integrated psych-rock elements into the group's sound.