Written by: Dave Cantrell

Okay, dear readers, we’re going to give you a double treat today. Not only are we premiering the latest from Stephen Hunking (ex-Hynolovewheel and several other projects including XL Kings) and Chris Xefos (King Missile, MX-80 Sound) in their present incarnation as Dew Claw, but we’re also going to cut the intro verbiage seeing as what’s being offered is of such roiling immediacy why let a bunch of words stand between you and what will most assuredly be a rewarding discovery/listen depending on where you are on the knowledge scale regarding this duo (we here at SEM were on the former, which further explains our interest in getting this into your ears stat). The fact that the pair were willing to gin up a track-by-track (which you can read down below while listening for that fully dimensional WHOA! effect; we’ve also attached a handy bio for those of you that, like us, need to know the everything there is to know, knowledge being power and all that) is all the more reason to step the eff aside and let the music – and the artists themselves – do the talking. Take it away, media player!!

Track-by-track:

Mouse Trap – No holds barred, punch in the face of 80’s New Zealand/70’s Krautrock vibes likened to losing a contact and crawling around on the floor until you find it…if you find it.

Fantastic Voyage – No holds barred, punch in the face of Melvins-y sludge and Gary Glitter call-and-response anthem that footballers will be singing in stadiums globally while not realizing they’re taking the piss out of their own social media use.

Fantastic Voyage (High Tunnels remix) – This high-energy take by High Tunnels (aka Dave Ramirez) approaches the song in feel good, bouncy uptempo techno vibe while still serving shade on the socials. Very mindless, very DevO.

Fantastic Voyage (CRX remix) – Let your racing thoughts melt away in this 6:38 extended meditation of Thrones-y bass and drums. Breathe in through the nose…hold it…and breathe out through the mouth…and repeat.

Fantastic Voyage (High Tunnels karaoke mix 1) – For those about to duck, we salute you. Keep your eyes peeled for a Dew Claw live performance of this coming to a stage or screen (in your pocket) near you soon.

Fantastic Voyage (High Tunnels karaoke mix 2) – Short, sweet, to the point, suitable for remixers everywhere. We dare you!

Fantastic Voyage (mono mix) – For the “Make Mine Mono” crowd, created when the 7” single was being considered as a mono lathe-cut. We ended up going with a hi-quality stereo cutter instead and couldn’t be happier with the results of the 7”. The inclusion of this version emphasizes the maximalist nature of this Maxi-single. Maxi all day strong, all night long!

BIO:

Since 2004, Dew Claw has been the music project for which Stephen Hunking has released his musings on life, love, parenting, personal themes and other abstract musings. Stephen has created 4 full-length releases plus various singles and EPs under the Dew Claw umbrella over the last 20 years. During the ‘10s, Stephen was also a member of the NY combo, XL Kings, that produced 2 full-length releases as well as a 7” single. He was also a creative force behind the intercontinental band Grand Union, a collaborative venture with Frode Strømstad (I Was A King), which vetted 3 single releases in 2018. Stephen initially honed his musical skills and songwriting chops as a member of the group Hypnolovewheel(1987-1994), with 2 albums independently released and another 3 albums on Alias Records, along with assorted singles and compilation appearances.

Chris Xefos is best known as a member of King Missile during their 1989-1994 era. This indie-to-major label period for KM brought about the college-rock smash “Jesus Was Way Cool” and alt-rock hit “Detachable Penis”. Post-KM, Chris settled in San Francisco working in music as a producer, engineer, and musician. In the ‘10s, Chris was a member of guitar instrumental groups Flotation Device and Rattletrap, the latter featuring Bruce Andersonof art-punk legends MX-80-Sound. In 2019, Bruce asked Chris to join MX-80 Sound and help complete their 2024 (and swan song) release, Better Than Lifeo n Byron Coley’s Feeding Tube Records.

Stephen and Chris have been good friends since high school, discovering and playing music together over this entire time. During their NY/NJ fertile alt-rock period, the King Missile-Hypnolovewheel mafia was STRONG. The two bands shared a member for a time and Chris lent a hand with production duties on the first Hypno/Alias release.

Cut to 2021: Stephen and his wife escape from NY/NJ to re-start their lives as newly minted flower farmers in Camas, WA, just outside Portland, OR. With Chris and Stephen now in the same time zone, their collaborations were also reborn. Chris assisted with mixing and mastering for the 2022 Dew Claw release, Horripilation. After their work on this project, the pair felt it was time to cement their full-throttled partnership and join forces as Dew Claw.

In 2023, Dew 2.0 officially began work on new material. As part of recording these new songs, the duo enlisted help from friends far and wide. Stephen and Chris inviting pals from the east and west coasts of the US and not-so-old friends from Norway to participate in the wide-ranging project. Each song was worked on individually, from the ground up. Initial inspiration was drawn from the period when ‘60s band The Movemorphed into Electric Light Orchestra in the early ‘70s, both substantial influences for the Dew 2.0 team. The results are a driving (indie/alt/classic) rock feel paired with more arranged, sometimes orchestral, instrumentation.

For their 2024 release, Dew Claw culled two simpler, yet still raucous, pieces into a 7” single, “Mouse Trap” b/w “Fantastic Voyage”. The 7” is being released as a limited edition, high-quality lathe-cut vinyl single. The digital release includes 5 remixes of “Fantastic Voyage”, several of which created by High Tunnels (aka Dave Ramirez, ex Hypno/KM inter-member). Three videos, directed by Stephen, have also been created to accompany this release.

Over the past 18 months, Dew Claw has amassed a large inventory of work that is slated to be released in 2025 and beyond. Stay tuned!