Words by: Heidi Dixon
Eccentric to the core, Mothman, The Man’s latest release ‘1000 Eyes’ doesn’t shy away from the dark and disturbing themes that have shaped the art of rock music. This album is a brilliantly chaotic convergence of influences from psychedelic to progressive and modern garage.
The album begins with setting a grungy tone with a lengthy intro, consisting of blaring electric guitar and rumbling bass. About one minute in, we hear a distant drawl of vocals: an ear-pleasing whine that mirrors the angst fuelled lyrics centred around withdrawal and unravelling mental states. Despite heavy themes, “Tearless” and “Outside” are nevertheless energetic and gradually ramp up the pace. That is until — like a deep inhale and exhale — comes ‘Hugo’.
In this track, the prog-rock influences are potent, with the shift to a lower and passive melody that stays within the same notes for the duration of the song. Through leady vocals, Mothman recounts a tale about an elusive fisherman and his crew who are ‘engulfed’ by a tidal wave, but Hugo inexplicably survives. In true garage rock style, this song draws from suburban stimuli depicting the chilling side of a seaside town.
‘Cult of Bone’ follows suit in its nuanced storytelling and is probably the most psychedelic track on the album as we learn about a character named ‘Acid Scott’, who left home and ‘joined a cult’. If Wes Anderson and Tim Burton had a lovechild, this is how I would picture him turning out!
Just when you think you know what’s coming, ‘Tomb’ diverts from the predecessing guitar riffs with an overdub of a young man’s voice reaching out. He’s apologising for being deflated after a show where he was booed offstage. This is layered with a slower melody and flourishes into an originally sombre tune, brimming with emotion, which feels introspective and personal to the band.
I think we can all take solace in ‘1000 Eyes’ as a truly unique album that in rock and roll spirit, feels like a kickback against the squeaky-clean internet pop that’s spawned incessantly since the pandemic. Macabre it may be, but you can’t deny it’s packed with meaning and peppered with refreshingly deadpan humour. It would be great to hear more of this personality gleam through towards the end of the album. Perhaps a 10th track that tells us what came of Acid Scott! Or maybe I’m just being greedy…
1000 Eyes is out now and available on all major streaming platforms.
Rating 4/5
