Hush Up #1 / Free / :20 / 32M / http://www.hush-up-music.com /
First issues are always a little hard to perfect. There will undoubtedly be some trifling errors that are mortifying when found, but Hush Up does a good job in (ahem) hushing up these errors. While the inclusion of color to the zine is nice, the layout is somewhat lacking, owing much to the fact that most of the zine uses the same font in the same size. Instead of delineating the pieces, this has the unfortunate possibility of causing pieces to blend together and eyes to get tired well before the zine is over. For every famous bands (Mindless Self Indulgence, Armor For Sleep), there are two or three up and coming bands (Longspur, For Sorrows End) that individuals will not feel interviewed-out on (being “interviewed-out†is the sad fact that some zine-reading individuals will get tired reading five or six magazines that interview the same band, which happens because labels and PR firms push bands to every market). Especially exciting during this issue is that “Trash Talk†could possibly grow from short reviews into something that resembles Buddyhead, and that also the personal writing (especially the discussion about a band’s van being on fire) may actually get more play in future issues. The poetry/lyrics in the issue really suffer at the lack of differing layout; a font that fit the poem/song a little better would have illuminated the lyrics in a way that just is not present during the issue. Give the zine a few issues to work out its growing pains, and it will be something formidable.
Rating: 4.4/10
John Sargeant, writing on NeuFutur as Sargeant, is the founder and editor-in-chief of NeuFutur Magazine, where he has covered independent music, PC hardware, consumer tech, and gaming culture since 1998. With over 25 years of continuous digital publishing experience, he has written thousands of hands-on game and record reviews, conducted in-depth hardware field testing, and analyzed digital media monetization trends. His work prioritizes first-hand evaluation and long-term product testing.
Beats: Independent Music, PC Gaming & Peripherals, Consumer Tech, Webmaster Tools
Testing & Ethics: All hardware, software, and media reviews are conducted through hands-on evaluation in accordance with NeuFutur’s editorial independence standards; sponsored consideration is strictly excluded from editorial ratings.
Contact: editor@neufutur.com