Another revolutionary record
Almost three decades since the forming of the band Mudhoney, the Seattle, Washington group brings yet another revolutionary album, challenging the status quo of our Nation, while rocking your face off. Their newest seven-song album, which follows the release of their 2018 album Digital Garbage brings a similar political vibe with a whole new unique sound. The album title alludes to the phrase popularized during the 1984 campaign of Ronald Reagan, only a couple years preformation of the band itself.
Rebellious, wide-ranging lead singer Mark Arm gives us exactly what we need lyrically to suffice all that adult angst we build up these days, even though we can’t always admit it. In the opening track, the band calls to the attention of all the “terrible things” currently occurring and how they are truly shadowed with a “vortex of lies” while pointing out just how truly satisfying it would feel to “kick ‘em square in their tubular balls.” Lead guitarist Steve Turner doesn’t fail to satisfy either with his vigorous guitar riffs and electric sound.
The band truly hits home with pointing out how life these days feels just a little too surreal like we’re living in some bad horror film. “Creeps Are Everywhere” brings that classic grunge rock that Mudhoney fans adore. Ironically, the song could be referring to how creeps quite literally are everywhere, even in high positions of power in this country. This segues perfectly into the fourth track, “Morning in America” the exact cynical, uproarious track the band does so well. Arm singing “America hates itself” will soon become the infamous line on the album questioning exactly what we have become, and what we want to be as a nation.
Bringing it back to the music, drummer Dan Peters absolutely kills it in tracks three and four, the kind of background vibrations that tie these songs together. It’s so admirable how the band so easily dissects the state of the nation while providing a sound that you know they’re having the time of their life rocking out to. This album is truly a is a headbanger’s heaven, with some frantic yet beautifully bizarre moments.
Rewinding back to track three -“Ensam” directly translating from Swedish meaning “alone” – is the perfect fit for the song that repeatedly states “I’m so lonely tonight” and points out the darkness that we can all relate to in some way or another.
Morning in America not only speaks to the kind “what the hell is going on here?” attitude that most of us can relate to, but also relevant topics like social media addiction and how people kill themselves trying to put on an electrical facade for the world. Mudhoney does not disappoint in this EP, bringing their ferociously passionate fire to the tracks while shaking up our eardrums, as well as our consciousness. Mudhoney’s American tour begins 10/4 in Jersey City, New Jersey and will close out 10/19 in Brooklyn, NY.