New York trio, Mushfoot, started as a quarantined remote collaboration but morphed into something bigger as new layers were added and songs began to take shape. Featuring Ian Davis and Katie Vogel of Relatives and Greg Albert of TheRainbows, Mushfoot is visceral like a familiar landscape stripped of its lush surface so that the gnarled, tangled roots become the focal point.
Mushfoot’s debut, Time Before Land, is a gut punch, and on the second single, “My Shrinking Heart,” bouncing basslines become a weighted blanket; overbearing and heavy yet comforting simultaneously. Jangly riffs and fuzzed-out leads cut through the lively rhythms while Greg’s vocals take memorable hooks and twist them into ponderous, honeyed words that drop through the spiral void like an ontological slinky. The sonic palette reminds me of Magnetic Fields’ Holiday sifted through the existential hell of the past couple of years. “My Shrinking Heart” is a slow-moving lightning bolt coming straight at us, so mesmerizing that the inevitable obliteration feels like a blessing. I’m hooked.
The animated video, made by one of Mushfoot’s former students, adds to the ominous whimsy, heightening the charming dichotomies of the song. Time Before Land will be released on October 15 by Moone Records (with amazing cover art!). Pre-order Time Before Land from Moone’s website or via Bandcamp.
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