The New Single from Bad Mothers Union Will Swallow You Whole
Bad Mothers Union returns with a follow-up single that feels like a cinematic and droning sort of track that pulls you into its atmosphere and keeps you there. There's something slightly eerie about this one. There's a little bit of a haunting undertone to it, and I think that has a lot to do with their experimental side of things and how they utilize their instruments to create different sounds that aren't normally heard in general.
Plucking and scraping on the high sections of their skin between the neck and the headstock, creating high-pitched pings that are echoed with delay and sort of float out into the ether once plucked.
A scraping sort of grueling underbelly is almost always there beneath the surface of everything. It's extensive and continues to give the track that sort of thick undertone and edgy aesthetic, but it's also used as a form of sound sculpting.
I think that's mostly what this is about. "Cut In Half" is partially about sculpting sounds and creating new tones and textures to build something that's got its own vibe.
The track pulls that off without a hitch, and it is almost 8 minutes long, so there's plenty of time to engulf yourself in this slow-burning single, but it really has a mind all its own.
You find yourself floating around in it. Swimming face up, staring at the stars in the night sky, while the track keeps you adrift on that water.
Throughout all of this, there is a sort of drive, and this comes from the kick drum giving a steady stop throughout the song. This gives the track a bit of a backbone.
As this is unfolding and sort of surrounding you, some vocals are sort of spoken words going through the track, but it's pushed to the background, so you can't really hear everything. I think it's there for effect. Again, this whole thing has a bit of a cinematic haunt to it, and those vocals are part of that. It's about the essence of the sensation that the song gives you when you listen to it.
There is a mood that surrounds this piece of work, and they were able to really hone in on that and give it an effective approach.
The percussion grows, that's not just the kick drum, but also a high hat and a snare that's not fully snared. It's got a bit of a hollow ring to it, and loads of these sorts of high-pitched harmonics start fading in, and this actually sounds like a horror movie.
It's weird because the track has a tense feel to it, but it also has a smoothness at the same time.
It's like it flows naturally, but it also gives you the feeling of having to look over your shoulder constantly.
It's been a long time since I've heard a song that made me feel like something or someone was watching me when I didn't want them to.
Now, this is how the song was interpreted by me and me alone.
Others may take it in slightly differently or incredibly differently. For me, this was the effect it had. And gave me a little bit of the heebie-jeebies, but in a cool way.
If you listen to this song with headphones on, it's a really cool experience.
Your mind starts going to all these different places you start thinking random thoughts.
There's no real rambunctiousness to the song, but it still has the sense of something untamed out in the wild.
This was very cool and is the second release, as far as I can tell, from their upcoming album Sore Losers, which is set to drop on the 19th of March.
I love that these guys can pull off different styles so far. This one was far more experimental than the last one, in my opinion. You have these little post-punk elements in there, but all in all, this was its own animal.
I am certainly looking forward to the full album and suggest you check these songs out as well.
Bad Mothers Union - 'Cut in Half' (Spotify Link)
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