Hex by Sofia Dell’Aquila

Tucked behind the lavish homes of Golden Hills sits Pinkhaus, a backyard garage-turned-DIY venue that has served the San Diego community for years. Upon announcing their imminent closing, Pinkhaus hosted a mini-festival to celebrate the local bands that have kept them running. 

Hex emerged in the scene in 2018 with their first single “DRAM,” and has been sporadically releasing music since. Seemingly drawing inspiration from spirituality and Tarot Cards, their music exudes a hazy, dreamlike sound, reminiscent of leading shoegaze bands like Slowdive or LSD and the Search for God. Last Spring, I was fortunate enough to catch them at Pinkhaus alongside Neutral Shirt (SD) and Elnuh (STX), and they were just as good then as they are now. 

Wrapped in the intimate silver foil of the Chrome Box, Hex took the floor around 9:45. Opening with a new song, the lead singer’s airy vocals echoed against the band’s droning guitar. Later in the set, they dove into some of my favorite songs, “Dyad” and “The Hanged Man.” The band’s obvious chemistry onstage had the crowd honed in on their technical instrumentals and concrete, collective sound. Despite time restrictions cutting the set short, the crowd was fully satisfied by their exemplary performance. Overall, Hex has consistently proven to be one of San Diego’s strongest local bands, and I can’t wait for another opportunity to see them live. 

Hex by Sofia Dell’Aquila