The Leeds, UK-based art-rock group, Mush have shared their new single, Northern Safari which arrives as the second preview of their forthcoming third album, ‘Down Tools’ which is out July 8 via Memphis Industries. The new record marks Mush’s third full-length in as many years following 2020’s debut LP, ‘3D Routine’ and 2021’s acclaimed ‘Lines Redacted,’ which found support at BBC 6 Music (inc Album of the Day), Pitchfork, Quietus, Sunday Times, Brooklyn Vegan, Line of Best Fit, Dork and DIY and, as Uncut wrote, saw them become “kindred spirits to Wand and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, two other bands prolifically honing their sound and approach, steadily developing their voice.”
Listen to Northern Safari via YouTube below.
Northern Safari – which arrives packed with fidgety guitar riffs and signposts some of the band’s most accessible slacker-punk sounds to date – arrives as a song about the way the North of England has been portrayed in the media and is used as a mirror to reflect some of the nastier elements of what’s going on in society. Speaking about the single, Hyndman of the band says: “It’s about the time we all went to the tropical world together to see the meerkats. ‘Down Tools’ out soon, thanks for all your support so far!”
‘Down Tools’ was recorded in Leeds at Greenmount Studios with long-term collaborators, Lee Smith and Jamie Lockhart (Yard Act, Easy Life, Cribs). 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. Hyndman says of the recording process: “going into Greenmount was like returning to a childhood home, it’s great re-connecting with Lee and Jamie. They let us do whatever we want within reason, we have fun and you kind of forget they are actually both amazing at what they do. So much of the guitar had to be improvised in the studio which was stressful but also intrinsic to creating the non-linear vibe of some of the stranger tracks”.
Mush formed in 2015, its first iteration being as a five-piece noise band with three guitars. Mush’s MO and sound have changed a lot since then as the band continues to grow and hone their sound. On ‘3D Routine’, the sound centered around the interweaving of dueling guitars of Steven Tyson and Hyndman. Since Tyson’s death, Hyndman has contributed all of the guitars for ‘Lines Redacted’ and ‘Down Tools’. Recent recruit, Myles Kirk is now on second guitar duties ushering another new era for the band, joining Dan plus Nick Grant (bass/vox) and Phil Porter (drums).
‘Down Tools’ track listing
1. Grief Thief
2. Karoshi Karaoke
3. Get On Yer Soapbox
4. Human Resources
5. Northern Safari
6. Dense Traffic
7. Inkblot and The Wedge
8. Group of Death
9. Groundswell
10. Interlude
11. Burn, Suffering!
12. Down Tools
You can pre-order ‘Down Tools’ here
UK tour dates
Jul 08 | Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
Jul 09 | London, UK @ Rough Trade East
Jul 10 | Nottingham, UK @ Rough Trade East
Sep 30 | Sunderland, UK @ Pop Recs
Oct 01 | Glasgow, UK @ The Hug & Pint
Oct 02 | Manchester, UK @ YES (Basement)
Oct 03 | London, UK @ The Lexington
Oct 04 | Brighton, UK @ The Hope & Ruin
Oct 05 | Sheffield, UK @ Record Junkie
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