It is worth noting the congruity between the Western Mass underground 30 years ago and the scene now.    Take the power duo Wydyde. In the Bandcamp tags for their recently released debut EP Hadley Fire, Wydyde claim Dinosaur Jr. as a reference point. And there are some obvious parallels. Tubecats, Wydyde’s Hadley showhouse, is six miles from J Mascis’ Amherst. Dinosaur Jr. made their mark in the indie canon by bridging the space between classic rock and independent punk, connecting ’70s-sounding guitar solos with lyrics that are emotionally sensitive and often misunderstood, which then get fuzzed over by punk’s underground electricity and alternative appeal.

Much of that is also true of Wydyde. Van Kolodin and Aaron Noble — both Western Mass natives — create a type of grunge that feels extremely current yet also tugs at the heels of classic rock heavyweights like Zeppelin and Crazy Horse. Noble’s godlike drumming carries the soul of a human being yet the precision of a muscly machine — kind of like Dave Grohl, but perhaps a bit busier. Many of the tracks on Hadley Fire can be strung together by heavy hits, augmented power chords, spirally Neil Young guitar chaos, and topped with Kolodin’s emotional crooning, primal grunts, and groans.

That said, the EP is built on a foundation that is perhaps less confident, more tender, and less known than these energetic basement dwellers let on.

On the first track, “Body in the Sand,” (note the Bandcamp tag “savage lovemaking” for this one), Kolodin calmly and sincerely sings through the grainy tape hiss of a Tascam 388: “I thank my mom and dad for what” — then it all kicks into overdrive, and he bellows “I am / A rock ‘n’ roller / Sweet sucker of heart swinging schlong.” With savage lovemaking comes savage heartbreak, small town claustrophobia, and coping mechanisms.

On “Comfort Chair,” Kolodin grapples with the uncertainty and insecurity of how to interact with society as a young person with relative privilege who is concerned with the state of the world: He asserts that “I have no ideals / It’s not my place to say what place I’m in.”

But Wydyde does have big ideals and high standards, as this EP has been “right around the corner” or “coming out soon” for quite some time. “The Space Between” is the saddest and most haunting track on the debut (perhaps a little something for Elliott Smith fans). The emotion carried by Kolodin’s acoustic guitar, vocals, and tape hiss should carry listeners through breakups and hard times for decades to come.

Wydyde has a lot to look forward to. They just finished a month long tour from New England to Georgia and have set up DIY shows in Western Mass with underground names like Downtown Boys, Palm, and Guerilla Toss. Look for them in your basement, and if you’re lucky, they might blow your speakers.    Follow Wydyde on Facebook to stay on top of upcoming shows. Hadley Fire is available on Bandcamp. 

Basemental reports twice monthly on the local DIY music scene. Contact Will Meyer at wsm10@hampshire.edu.