On
Hurl's 1996 debut full-length,
A Place Called Today, the group introduces the listener to their original sound, which is split between cacophonous alterna-rockers and quieter numbers. Producer Bob Weston (
Shellac) has done a masterful job of capturing the group's barely containable live energy on disc, the evidence being such tracks as "One Man, Buck," "Faceman," and the album's opener, "Four Feet to Infinity." Most of the other songs ("No. 11," "(The Advantages Of) Temporary Baldness," etc.) can be comparable possibly to early
Smashing Pumpkins (circa 1991's Gish). The band shows that they have a knack for writing memorable songs around solid, sturdy riffs, aided by their three-guitar attack on certain songs. In addition, shards of jazz chords and odd time signatures bubble to surface of
Hurl's music time and time again, which confirms that they are well on their way to creating their own original brand of heavy alternative rock.