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[FUZZY DREAM POP] Unknown Mortal Orchestra's Riley Geare might be the most famous name on Cat Hoch's debut solo EP, but lest one forget, the project is still under her own appellation. Hoch (pronounced "hawk") is a local vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who got her start playing drums in Tender Age. She's since performed alongside an impressive roster of other Portland acts—including Jackson Boone, Eternal Tapestry (whose Nick Bindeman lends his guitar work to this EP), Daydream Machine and more—throughout her still nascent musical career. With her first set of solo songs, Hoch establishes herself as a force of mutable sounds and spacey styles. As the EP progresses, Hoch's vocals seem to get farther and farther away. In opener "Look What You Found," the fuzzed-out guitar line gets pretty aggro when anticipating Hoch's oncoming wails. But by the time third track "Losin' It" rolls around, the synths and guitars start to sound sparkly and distant, and all that angst seems to meander weightlessly into the past. With Hoch's wispy vocals coaxing these extraterrestrial sounds out of our stratosphere, it's as if Beach House's Victoria Legrand were warbling over late era Flaming Lips noodling. It's certainly an intriguing mix, but it only captivates in small stretches. HILARY SAUNDERS.
SEE IT: Cat Hoch plays Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., with Valet and Sinless, on Sunday, Oct. 25. 9 pm. $10. 21+.
Willamette Week