photo by Ben Prince; photo courtesy of The Orchard

EP Review: Huddy – Love Bites

As I was digging through some of the music I was sent last year during my 9-month hiatus from writing, I uncovered a few gems. Huddy‘s EP Love Bites was one of them. It’s 4 songs of guitar-based power pop, radio-friendly and a little rockin’. Catchy, with crunchy hooks and full of attitude. So upon giving this EP a quick listen, I added it to my review queue, undeterred by the fact that this record dropped a full year ago. This is an EP you need to know about, regardless of your usual favorite genre, especially if you have any mainstream-leaning tendencies.

image courtesy of The Orchard

As I prepped for this review, I dug into the background of Huddy (Chase Hudson) and discovered the dude’s already a pretty big deal. Yeah, the songs from this EP didn’t chart – they definitely should have! – but he already has quite a resumé. Before I get to the music, I’ll rattle off some accolades: 2021 iHeart Radio Music Awards nominee in the Social Star category, listed in Billboard‘s 21 under 21 list in 2021, one of Forbes‘ 30 under 30 in 2022. I don’t usually mention social media numbers, but Huddy has 30.4 million TikTok followers. He costarred with Sydney Sweeney in Downfalls High in 2021. And he was in the cast of Netflix’s Hype House in 2022. I know I usually get straight to the music in my reviews, but this is an impressive background, and I’ve gotta say, based on the songs on this EP, Huddy has the singing chops to back up the hype.

The first song on this EP, “Mugshot,” is an energetic, build-to-power pop rock song with a monster hook. There’s a cool little raw vocal effect during the lead-in to the chorus you might note. Moreso, though, there’s a fast-beat rhythm through the verses that carry the song forward much like some ’90s pop-punk faves might have, but “Mugshot” has some crunchier guitar licks. As for rockers young and remember-when-you-were-young, you’ll relate to the girls-like-the-bad-boy opening line of the chorus, “She’s in love with the boy in the mugshot.” Oh, and if you tend to listen for axework in your favorite tunes, don’t sleep on the brief, wailing solo about two-thirds of the way through.

photo by Phil Chester & Sara Byrne; photo courtesy of The Orchard

“Worst Way” leans more into the power-pop subgenre of rock ‘n roll, leaning more into its drumbeat and rhythm with a more pop-rock vocal delivery, not significantly unlike some of the more rockin’ Jonas Brothers songs (which, to be fair, is a lot more of their songs than rock ‘n roll purists may want to admit – personally, I love me some good pop-rock). I know the opening reminds me of another hit song (who else hears it? which chart-topper is that?) before it drops into the rhythm. Huddy’s vocals lead the listener on a slightly hypnotic journey in the verses leading up to the chorus, which absolutely pops. The song uses a slight near-pause, with most of the instrumentation briefly dropping out, heading in and out of the chorus in a very effective attention grab and re-grab. This might be the most likely to grab the attention of the pop radio audience, though this whole EP is radio-friendly, so not by much.

In fact, if I’m wrong about that, it’ll probably be because the next song, “Love Bites,” has a bigger, more in-your-face pop rhythm, and Huddy’s voice is smoothly dreamier in the verses but more aggressive in the “l-l-love bites” chorus. It’s the sort of song you’d be jumping around to on a party dance floor. Or around your living room floor, if it’s a house party. Regardless, the song gives off serious dance club vibes, replete with a few NSFW lyrics, though it’s the sort of club song you’d also blast from your stereo.

photo by Phil Chester & Sara Byrne; photo courtesy of The Orchard

The fourth song, “21,” returns to a full-on rock vibe, with distorted alt-rock guitar kicking things off. The chorus sports a crisper, clearer sound, though with still a lot of a wall-of-sound backdrop. As the song opens up when the chorus kicks in, a crisp rock drumbeat takes over from the distorted axework to drive the song’s enthusiastic, almost anthemic tempo. The song’s creative breakdown about two-thirds of the way through helps break things up – a brief, thumping, danceclub breakout that seems to try to make the song feel like a party, and quite successfully, actually – before the song power-pop-rocks its way to its close.

Though just four tracks, Huddy’s Love Bites EP provides a power pop-rock persona and shows a bit of the singer’s musical versatility. That’s important if an artist wants longevity, since it shows his talent isn’t wedded to a specific “sound.” It’s an exceptional collection, especially as an initial introduction to Huddy.

With apologies to the talented Mr. Hudson for being a little late to the party, I’m sure this music will be new to a lot of my regular readers who may not pursue the latest “hot” acts but are into good, old-school rock ‘n roll, including when it’s bright, shiny, and filled with pop-ready hooks like the songs on Love Bites. Give Huddy a listen. This is a talented artist you really need to hear.

More Recently

Huddy played Lollapalooza in 2024, and in this Instagram post commemorating his performance, he plugged an upcoming album in 2025. I hope that’s coming because, after hearing this EP, I can’t wait for a full album of new tunes from this guy!

Musically, since Love Bites, Huddy has released a pair of additional singles, “Addicted to You” and “Cyanide.”

You can catch Huddy on the road this summer as part of the Summer School Tour with Charlotte Sands, Taylor Acorn, Rain City Drive, Arrows in Action, If Not For Me, and Beauty School Dropout.