In case you missed it, Birmingham-based post-punk / noise-rock polymaths Mutes proudly revealed their new single ‘Mere Slaughter’, released via No Sound Records on November 17th 2023.
Originally conceived as a solo, primarily-ambient project by vocalist and lyricist James, Mutes released their eponymous debut EP in 2014.
Championed by BBC Radio 6, their second studio album Pareidolia was released in 2019, while 2021 saw the release of Dreams of Being Cornered, their third and most fully-realised record yet, which saw Mutes capture the ferocity of their live show with urgent guitar freak-outs sitting alongside wondrous synth textures and vocal melodies with calculated ease.
The first taste of their upcoming fourth studio album, due in 2024, their new single Mere Slaughter is a three minute cacophony of dissonant no-wave guitar, anguished vocals and a belabouring rhythm section. The blistering track’s feral intensity serves as a raw reflection of a nation being slowly exenterated of possibility.
Mutes – Mere Slaughter
No Sound Records
Recorded entirely live as a three-piece, the song is an evident display of the band’s desire to capture the uninhibited intensity of their performances.
Discussing what inspired the single, the band explain: “’Mere Slaughter’ was born from a need to write something ugly and dissonant – somewhat of a sonic exorcism. A lament for a society that is slowly eating itself by means of division and gaslighting.”