The inheritor of D.C.’s rock ’n’ roll legacy—self-righteous gate-keeping, stern principles, anger aimed squarely at the “system”—Ex Hex is not. The year-old three-piece dropped its first full-length, the aptly titled Rips, in October, and it’s a sunny, winking manifesto of power-pop choruses and glam-rock guitars that cares not for your doom, gloom, or laborious conversations. With Mary Timony (Helium, Wild Flag) on lead vocals and guitar, Betsy Wright (Childballads, Chain and the Gang) on bass, and Laura Harris (the Aquarium) on drums, the supergroup makes videos that go down like Sour Patch Kids: bursting with Technicolor palettes, instant gratification, and sweet, impish grins. If Ex Hex’s brand of fun is any indication—if the future of rock is a band that takes its music seriously, but not itself—this genre is in good hands.