The BBC Radio 1 (Jack Saunders’ “Next Wave” artist) and 6 Music-tipped art-rock trio Mush have released their new single ‘Seven Trumpets’ this week which is from their upcoming second LP, Lines Redacted, which is out via Memphis Industries on 12 February.
Whereas the band’s debut was very much a product of its time, something part-inspired by the political atmosphere of mid-2019 and a genuine moment of optimism when the prospect of a socialist government in the UK was on the cards, this new record uses tongue-in-cheek cynicism as a coping mechanism for the environment that we now find ourselves in. Across twelve tracks, Lines Redacted introduces a string of different narrators with each providing a different reflection on the Armageddon scenario that we are slowly entering, whether that’s bemoaning it or gleefully willing it along.
Whilst further mining the album’s overarching theme of Armageddon, singer-songwriter, Dan Hyndman, provides a call for climate action with his urgent vocal foray, helping to achieve a sound that is in equal bouts celebratory and sarcastic, taking lyrical aim at complacency in the face of danger. Speaking about the track, Hyndman says “‘Seven Trumpets’ started as a climate change jaunt, but with the plethora of Armageddon scenarios currently on display, it became more about sleepwalking into disaster in a generalised sense. It has a Beefhearty breakdown in the middle.”
‘Seven Trumpets’ typifies their sound, and if you weren’t aware of them is a great introduction to the band as well as a strong nod to what the LP is going to hold. A strong melody underpins the track, making it neater and more accessible than most art rock, yet the off-piste elements are still there to entertain.
