Mush’s second album, Lines Redacted (out this past Friday, Feb 12 via Memphis Industries), came in quick succession to their debut 3D Routine, and it’s just the heady-hectic collection of songs you’d hope for.
This album outlines an apocalypse scenario — or multiple versions of the daily apocalypse we’re going through on a daily basis — with each song granting a different narration of some of the messed up shit that’s happened over the past year. There isn’t a line wasted throughout the 12 tracks written by Dan Hyndman, and although the concept is bleak the music is still fun. That is if sensory overload and guitar noodling dialed up to 10 is your idea of fun (it is mine). It can be really easy for this type of music to get lost in the sauce of the slew bands that sound like Squid-sounding-like-the-Talking-Heads, but it doesn’t. Mush is very much Mush and there is no denying that.
We asked Hyndman a couple questions about the album / life in general, and this is what he had to say, below.
This album has come kind of quickly after your first, what did that speedy process look like and how was it affected by the pandemic?
We aspire to be as productive as possible, we’d like to be like one of the Castle Face bands that knock out a couple of albums a year ideally. But we all work full time and are skint. The album was able to be written so quickly due to lockdown, I was ‘working’ from home, so I sat around writing songs all day. On the negative side we couldn’t meet much as a band but I sent over rough demos online for them to get to grips with the tunes. Luckily we got in the studio during a period of relative freedom in between lockdowns. Maybe we are just trying to bury the slacker rock tag for good.
Do you still feel as though we’re in an Armageddon scenario? Has time or perspective changed anything at all?
I don’t feel it has changed at all really. I’ve got the 3rd record written musically but I haven’t written a great deal of lyrics as I can’t get into a different headspace. I don’t want it to be Lines Redacted 2 i.e. another dystopian record. I guess for you guys Trump is gone which is nice. Biden will essentially just continue with the business as usual neo-liberal bullshit that will leave the door open for the next Trump though. We have the same shit here, the Labor party has been re-neutralised under Keir Starmer. SAD!
Even in the stark cynicism, it’s still so fun. Not so much a question as much as a comment but even though there’s already the mocking of the keep calm and carry on attitude in Positive, doesn’t the whole record in its “Mushiness” evoke that same idea of keeping calm and have a good time?
Ha, I kinda thought this was going to be a dark record but I guess we don’t have it in us. I kind of like to think of the funness as being kind of maddening. Like that smiling meme guy ‘Hide the pain Harold’. I think it’s kind of more interesting than a pantomime conception of darkness. Funny and dark like a David Lynch film.
The album art by Martyn Hill is pretty easily identifiable, in its abstractness, for what it represents. Makes me think about –> what are some things you think we redact from each other on a day-to-day basis that we shouldn’t? These songs are all about a bigger world-wide (or rather country-wide) withholding, but what are some of the things you might have written about if the focus was on the smaller interactions?
Martyn is great. In my real life PAID job I teach Autistic adults, Martyn is one of my teaching assistants and now friends. He gives me the art for free and refuses to take any payment. I love his work. I wanted to avoid the smaller interactions, I think we covered that on the last record ‘Gig Economy’ for example is very specific in its scope about shit jobs. This album is more about the wider feelings evoked from living in the landscape formed by the political situation.
What are your biggest fears?
I am a hypochondriac. Going mad. Death.
What are some things that make you feel optimistic?
Personally: I’m looking forward to seeing friends again. We lost a good one this year, our friends have been very supportive. That’s inspiring. Politically: Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez, wish we had someone that good on this side of the pond.
In a different world, what would your dream lineup be for a release show and where would it be?
I’d happily have a repeat of last year’s album launch. The last gig we did! We played a show at Brudenell with Roxy Girls and Yard Act. I’d add Drahla and Shakamoto investigation too; they’re good Leeds bands. Brude is great, the pints are cheap and I can walk home after.
Follow Mush here, here, and listen here.
