Throwing Muses 'Hunkpapa' at 35; A Quick Look at the Band's 1989 Breakthrough Record

The influential album redefined indie rock and continues to inspire bands today

Good Morning!

Today we’re taking a quick look at ‘Hunkpapa’ by Throwing Muses as it turns 35.

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Proximity can make for strange bedfellows. Being label mates with New Order is the only way to explain how Throwing Muses found themselves on tour supporting the Manchester band.

But I’m sure glad they were. I knew what I was getting with New Order when I bought tickets, but I had never heard of the opener. Sometimes, a band comes along with a sound that rearranges your mind. New Order had already done that to me. In May of 1989, a band from New England was about to do it again.

I found myself mesmerized as Kristen Hersh belted out her stream-of-consciousness lyrics (“Nothing ever happens here, I said, I just wait” is a favorite on an album chock full of great lines).

Who was this band? Why didn’t the drummer have any cymbals?

In the 30+ years (yikes!) since that show, this record has never drifted too far from my playlists.

Part of that, I’m sure, is down to the fact that this was my on-ramp to the band. You always remember your first, right? Having the benefit of hindsight and having heard their entire discography, I can see why some people were not as enamored with the LP as I was. It suffers in places from a bit of overproduction a sheen that sounds great to new ears- but might be offputting to anyone raised on the in band’s earlier, rawer sound.

But— and this is a big but— to my ear, the good outweighs the bad. The album may be a bit more polished than House Tornado or The Fat Skier, but it still stands on its own. While those points of criticism may have some merit, I could never quite get past the rawness of it all. Much of that is down to Hersh’s lyrics; sometimes it feels like a descent into madness, other times dizzying highs, or even gleeful delirium, but with just enough grounding to be relatable.

Photo: Peel.fandom.com

Hersh and her half-sister Tanya Donelly also played well off one another, each comfortable in their respective role. Donelly’s songs tended to be sweeter & lighter, while Hersh’s seemed much more urgent. Here, Donelly’s Angel is a perfect example, foreshadowing what we would be in for with Belly and later her solo work and The Loyal Seas. A lot of ink has been spilled about Hersh's bipolar disorder. Listening through that lens, the compulsive drive to get the songs out of her head and the tenor of songs like Fall Down and Mania make a lot more sense.

And credit the impressive way the rest of the band (Donelly, Leslie Langston, and David Narcizo) insist on keeping up with her wherever she takes them. That determination pays off.

In an era when a lot of songs were long on style and short on substance, here was an antidote: a band from Rhode Island playing incredibly literate songs. The sound and word are beguiling—and influential. Throwing Muses may not have ever known stardom, but they are the favorite band of a lot of our favorite bands. Even now, knowing the words forward & backward, I’m still not sure I know what Hersh intended them to mean. But I’m not sure it matters, either.

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Listen:

Throwing Muses | Hunkpapa, 1989

Click the record to listen on the platform of your choice.

What are your thoughts on this record? Do you have any favorite tracks or memories associated with it? At 35, does it still hold up? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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Thanks for being here,

Kevin—