‘World Building’, the opening track from Leather.head’s debut album, starts with a big bang of a guitar riff which subsides shortly after. The lulling pace of the song’s verse, echoing Alen Ginsberg’s ‘Howl’, contrasts with the thunderous chorus.
Creation and destruction go hand in hand on Mud Again, an eight-piece work by the five-piece London-based collective. A juxtaposition that also defines the realm of political activism to which the band members have adhered. The founding core – brothers Toby, Josh and Aidan Evans-Jesra – have effectively voiced their ideas through music since 2016. The lack of racial diversity on the music scene in Brighton (their home at the time) served as an impetus.
Naturally, relocation to London prompted a change of focus. With its strong anti-capitalist stance, Mud Again expands on other dysfunctions of the world. At least two songs mention technology as a factor dictating our views (literally and figuratively). In ‘World Building’, the protagonist has “seen hell in [his] phone”. ‘Traintracks’ mentions a memory of a loved one seen on the phone screen.
Clocking in at eight minutes, ‘Traintracks’ is also the most eclectic composition on Mud Again. There is an abundance of textures and genres – from a hazy Americana opening to screamo with a connective tissue of prog folk, nodding at Ryley Walker. If Caroline and Lankun united and incorporated harder riffs and screaming vocals, their sound would be close to what is heard on the album. Listening to ‘Traintracks’ feels like seeing someone’s life in fast-forward mode.
Some compositions have a more consistent texture. ‘Death Healer II’ is a swell and subsiding tide, essentially built over continuous downstroke strumming, augmented with ambient sounds, vocals and spoken word.
Closer ‘Friends’ brings a sudden ease to your ears and sounds even radio-friendly. Tuneful and angsty, it evokes American indie rockers Deerhunter at their best.
Still, on the whole, Mud Again pursues deconstruction. This definitive motif suits the band’s moniker, transforming the name of the Surrey town into a slang word. Overall, listening to Mud Again is not meant to be an easy experience, but neither is life. At times, the effect is cathartic. Listen to ‘Fell’, where heavy riffs and throbbing drums burst out with smashing hardcore punk peppered with saxophone brushstrokes. It might be a bumpy ride, but it’s one worth going for.
Leather.head
