Indie band Muttering have dropped their debut EP Don’t Think About It, out today (9th April 2021) via Failure By Design Records. Muttering consists of Chaz Bush (vocals, bass guitar), Tom Hill (guitar) and Johnny Bennett (drums, backing vocals). Don’t Think About It was recorded and mixed by guitarist Hill in his London studio The Bookhouse and mastered by Dan Coutant, known for working with Drug Church, Swain and Lemuria.
Together they have created a strong and impressive introduction to their band on this EP, which opens with the song Swim and a formidable mix of drums and riffs. The subject matter for the song is dark on the one hand and optimistic on the other, sung over an emo-esque melody.
Swim was penned by Bush after he read an article suggesting the worst thing you can do for the environment is have a child. As the world gets catastrophically wetter, he poses the question as to whether or not we will sink or swim. Asking if we’ve taught our children to swim. The track is as powerful and the composition is filled with intense instrumentalisation, that compliments the vocal harmonies.
The next track up is Beyond Belief. Although no less intense lyrically, it does dial down a notch musically for a more chilled out introduction and general vibe. The focus falls on the vocals that sit clearly on top, whilst drums pound continuously only taking a quiet pause to hear the lyrics “Save me from all these sleepless nights” across a silent void, before kicking in again.
Once we reach the middle of the EP, we are presented with Disquiet. It is a lovely little instrumental piece that shows off the band’s musical talent and reminds us that lyrical content and vocals are only a part of the equation – when so often they are the focus of a song, the most remembered aspect perhaps, but not the glue that holds it together.
Just when listeners may have found themselves starting to relax and drift away in an ocean created in disquiet, an abrupt sound breaks into the soundscape and we find ourselves in the song Good Luck. A track that is actually their second single release from the EP. One that poses the question “What if the prophecies of armageddon came true?”, it ends simply by perhaps sarcastically wishing the world Good Luck.
The last song, Rattle Your Cage, has a mix of all the best aspects of the songs that came before it and is the perfect closing song. Don’t Think About It is brave and honest and gives us a hint of what the future may bring from these indie newcomers. That is, if the world has a future after all and we don’t all drown in the mess we’ve made.
We’re not surprised that the band themselves refer to the EP as a collection of “songs for the end of the world”. Listeners will definitely feel the impending doom hanging over their heads as they travel through each song. A lot has changed since the tracks of this EP were written quickly and instinctually by the band in 2019. Although the world’s situation has changed the message in these songs still holds strong, now more than ever.
8/10
Standout Tracks: Swim, Rattle Your Cage
For Fans Of: Black Foxxes, Gender Roles, Milk Teeth
Written by: Cat Wiltshire
