It’s hard to stand out in the teeming English rock scene. Some follow the vehement footsteps of Idles, others more meditative of Fountains D.C. Mush chose to look at it out of the corner of his eye, a mischievous smile on his lips. These troublemakers prefer to have fun with irony of the situation, claiming as much the post-punk of Wire or Gang of Four as the rock slacker of Pavement.
Mush resent their own sonic idiosyncrasy. It’s a sound that blurs the lines of abstract surrealism, existentialism and social commentary; utilising guitars as tools in 2020 to stave off malaise whilst simultaneously commenting on the nation’s ability to fall into such dire straits. It’s a sensory overload of wiry tones that zig- zag between punk, prog and sardonic-funk with a relentless ability to reflect society’s faults and apathy in a unique and acerbic manner.
Having garnered local attention in the early days for their unhinged and often calamitous live shows in Leeds, it was the unlikely radio hit “Alternative Facts“, (clocking in at an uncompromising ten minutes) that brought the Mush to the attention of a wider audience. The song, one of the last releases for the legendary Too Pure Singles Club saw early support from Marc Riley and others on BBC 6music with them playing multiple sessions, and the follow up single, “Gig Economy” hopping onto the 6music playlist. Roaming further afield from their hometown, Mush spent the first half of 2019 heading out around the UK, earning a reputation for their intense live performances, supporting the likes of Girl Band, The Lovely Eggs, Yak, Shame and Stereolab, as well as releasing the ‘Induction Party’ EP to great acclaim. At the tail end of summer of 2019 Mush headed to Leeds’ Green Mount Studio and with Andy Savours (Dream Wife, Our Girl, My Bloody Valentine) manning the mixing desk, their debut LP, “3D Routine” was born.
3D Routine
“3D Routine” has arrived. Following on from their “Induction Party E.P”, Mush are circulating their own sonic mythology, blurring the lines between abstract surrealism, existentialism and social commentary. Like its predecessor “3D Routine” is a sensory overload of clattering, hooky, guitar work. However, this time space emerges between the onslaughts and in this respite, room is found for new emotional depth. More expansive than ever before, “3D Routine” manages to maintain the rawness of a classic debut but it’s experimentation and variety portray a band unlikely to rest on their ‘guitar band’ chops.
Songwriter Dan Hyndman explains the genesis of the band as being “fairly boiler plate” a combination of friends old and new converging in Leeds post-uni to form a band predominantly united in their mutual affection for the Pavement back catalogue. Finally settling on a lineup of Nick Grant (bass), Tyson (guitar) and Phil Porter (drums) the band’s progression has taken them far beyond this original vision.
The way in which the album brazenly moves from polished 3- minute punk tracks, to avant-garde spoken word, to sardonic- political funk, whilst sounding like the same band is testament to an uncompromisingly unrefined ethic and compounds the jarring nature of Mush. Together, the songs form a unified, abrasive, emotive, frenetic and entirely beguiling concoction of sound and opinion, a fast-moving snapshot of current times, relatable, politically minded and incredibly personal. Music for those who want their guitars loud and weird, and their political commentary a little less ‘on the nose’
Like its predecessor ‘3D Routine’ is a sensory overload of clattering, hooky, guitar work. However, this time-space emerges between the onslaughts and in this respite, room is found for new emotional depth. More expansive than ever before, ‘3D Routine’ manages to maintain the rawness of a classic debut but it’s experimentation and variety portray a band unlikely to rest on their ‘guitar band’ chops.
First single, ‘Eat the Etiquette,’ described by Hyndman as “a bit of a stream of consciousness type rant”, takes aim at the use of ‘common sense’ as societal weapon; the “sick laughing track of malicious intent” making a mockery of progressive ideas, while “manufactured sense” helps maintain the underlying and iniquitous structures of wealth and power.
Great Artisanal Formats
Following hot on the heels of their debut album “3D Routine”, Leeds upstarts Mush released “Great Artisanal Formats” – a 5 track EP for Record Store Day 2020. It’s another collection of off- kilter guitar licks and wry observational takes on modern society.
Two weeks on from announcing their second album “Lines Redacted” and sharing the lead single “Blunt Instruments”, Mush confirmed the passing of their guitarist Steven Tyson.
Mush confirmed the news in a Facebook post , writing, “It is with deep regret that we must announce we have lost an irreplaceable piece of the MUSH family. Steven Tyson, our beloved friend and bandmate has passed away. Tyson had an inexplicable gentle power that was captivating to be around. His generosity and intelligence as a guitar player was indicative of his character as a whole: putting the needs of the music first, as he put others first.”
The band ended their post by writing, “Musically he penned some of our best riffs, notably “Alt Facts”, a song which used to drive him mad to play at the end.
Lines Redacted
Leeds-band, Mush, their feverish second LP, Lines Redacted via Memphis Industries. The release, which finds the group recruiting Lee Smith (The Cribs, Pulled Apart By Horses) on mixing duties, arrives just under a year after their debut LP, “3D Routine”, capping off what has been an obviously tumultuous, but remarkably prolific year for the band. With any prospect of live shows decimated, the group, led by songwriter, Dan Hyndman, has found the time to release two EPs (“Great Artisanal Formats” and “Yellow Sticker Hour”) and now a duo of full-length albums.
Whereas the band’s debut was very much a product of its time, something part-inspired by the political atmosphere of mid-2019 and a genuine moment of optimism when the prospect of a socialist government in the UK was on the cards, this new record uses tongue-in-cheek cynicism as a coping mechanism for the environment that we now find ourselves in. From one song to the next, “Lines Redacted” introduces a string of different narrators with each providing a different reflection on the Armageddon scenario that we are slowly entering, whether that’s bemoaning it or gleefully willing it along.
“3D Routine” presented a bed of scathing political jibes latching onto themes and decisions of the time. Lines Redacted mutates these ideas into something slightly more sinister whilst maintaining all of Hyndman’s razor-sharp wit that permeates the album.
Down Tools
Leeds art-rock group Mush return with album “Down Tools” via Memphis Industries. The new record marks the prolific band’s third album in as many years, following hype-building early singles ‘Alternative Facts’ and ‘Gig Economy’, 2020’s debut LP “3D Routine” and 2021’s acclaimed “Lines Redacted“, which pushed their sound further.
On “Down Tools”, this voice grows again into a more brilliantly singular sound. It sees Mush getting loose, moving away from the defined moods and textures of “Lines Redacted” with a musical openness, straddling genres while avoiding pastiche. Hyndman says of the lyrics on ‘Down Tools’ that “there was a conscious decision to retreat further from an observational approach” with vocals being ad-libbed lending the record a more abstract feel. Hyndman continues: “this album is less dark than the previous one. The Armageddon obsession has eased, or at least the symptoms have become milder due to saturation. Musically there’s a lot more chill on the record – there’s a few more mellow tracks out there and the most astute listener may even be able to decipher some of the words, fingers crossed.”
While grief and work balance form themes on the record, Hyndman’s approach is largely made up of abstract, disconnected streams of consciousness and lines liberally taken from books, paintings, films and beyond. On “Human Resources”, Hyndman dramatically retells a battle he had with an HR department at a job in a David and Goliath style. The song ‘Group Of Death’, a phrase chillingly familiar to any football fan, is emblematic of the turn towards softer, more considered sounds. Hyndman says: “In my warped imagination it just sounds like a Paul McCartney song, but it won’t to others. I initially had the idea of doing a World Cup song called ‘Group of Death’, but by the time it was written nothing beyond the title had any relevance to football. Anyway, the next World Cup is in Qatar so fuck that shit.” “Northern Safari” meanwhile is a song about the way the North of England has been portrayed in the media and used as a mirror to reflect some of the nastier elements of what’s going on in society, in particular vox pops around Doncaster, portraying a particular narrative of the collapse of the red wall and the disgruntled ex-miners.
“Down Tools” then sees Mush idiosyncratically ping-pong from finger picked looseners to noise-rock bangers to brilliantly entertaining effect, avoiding post punk saturation with an easy style and wit.
“Alternative Facts”. Possibly one of the greatest songs ever recorded. Thank you for the three truly excellent albums, “Induction Party”, and for the numerous times seeing you play.
Hey thanks for all the kind messages about our untimely demise. For those still looking for a fix, this is what i’ll be doing for now. The band is called Tulpa and you can track our movements here. New music and live dates to follow
The Fat Angel Sings 