When a 13-year-old Clark Gray first heard “Hope” — the buzzing, two-minute breakup classic by Descendents — it started an obsession with melodic garage punk that set him on the path to becoming Sex Mex, a solo artist from San Antonio, Texas writing his own energetic hooks by the fistful. “It’s like losing your virginity,” Gray tells PureHoney. “You think back on it and you say to yourself ‘I can’t believe I went this long without experiencing this.’”
Gray has been churning out recordings largely on his own at a brisk pace since 2021. His sound is equal parts Big Black, if that abrasive combo were employed at an amusement park, and Grouplove, if the latter’s anthemic “Tongue Tied” were played by a construction crew through a broken speaker. Sex Mex songs like “Fucking It Up” and “Dragging Me Around” bristle with lo-fi energy and a sense of fun meant to be enjoyed without scrutiny. Oddball bards like Mike Krol and Jay Reatard would be proud.
Hyperactivity is baked into the Sex Mex experience. “When I was younger I was just a really annoying kid who did stuff to piss people off,” Gray says. “I’m toned down in day to day life now, but all that energy needs to go somewhere, so I guess it just gets funneled into music.”
This energetic purity also keeps Sex Mex’s output honest and free of excess. Gray’s releases are typically short: The two most recent EPs, Down in the Dump Trucks and Don’t Mess With Sex Mex, follow an honorable punk tradition of not conceding productivity or artistry to the almighty full-length album. “The idea of an album is so alluring to people that they’ll completely ignore something just because it’s called Singles 06, 07, 08 or whatever,” Gray says. “I just want to avoid that.”
Sex Mex videos follow suit, exuding a youthful freedom that never takes itself too seriously. The clips accompanying songs such as “Goodwill” and “Nerds Who Play Guitar” feel like chaotic teenage memories, born out of restlessness and creativity.
Sex Mex plays 7pm Saturday, February 7 at Las Rosas in Miami. sexmexsux.com ~ Erik Kvarnberg
