Mount Fabric

Dubbed as ‘one of Manchester’s best kept secrets’ you can’t help thinking this is something of a huge claim! However, listening to Mount Fabric’s first official release ‘The Crow EP’ you may begin to see potential elements of a cult classic in the makingAn experienced four piece, not afraid of paying with sounds and effects, this band are reminiscent of what you might find if The Killers and Placebo were to reproduce a slightly premature love child.

Mount Fabric obviously put a lot of love and time into perfecting their sounds and experimenting with a variety of different styles. The song dynamics are well developed and the vocals explore great contrast between soft (if at times slightly weak), falsetto and deeply emotive, angst filled passion that captivates a desire to sing along and release that inner side parting that resides in even the best of us.

After a short introduction of noises that make your hair stand on end this record rashes into a punchy verse of ‘Drop Dead Girl’. This song has crunchy guitars over a strong bass line, whilst progressive dynamics build up and break into a powerful chorus driven by catchy placebo – esque vocals. Perhaps a touch on the generic side, this song would make a great single and has an interesting break down that displays the bands talents at utilising new and intriguing sounds. This song is definitely a grower, especially as you let yourself get taken away in the powerful lyrics.

Next up is ‘Wrestling with a Wrecking Ball’, which comprises of gentle melodic indie verses, an exquisite bridge of intertwining guitars playing at exchanging rhythms. The simple yet catchy chorus is what has made this song a crowd favourite and a welcome edition to the ep.

‘Bubble Mind’ is the next song on ‘The Crow EP’. Another crowd favourite featuring a big solid bass line, some innovative guitars and vocals that further explore the emo indie combination that lurks throughout the band’s sound. The catch to this song is the simple riff played on the keys and although very listenable the generic structure may deter some.

The last song on the ep, ‘Sarah & the Multiverse’ is an eclectic mix of riffs, touching on metal, whilst utilising some modes and scales seen mostly in Egyptian music. This song really shows off the bands diversity whilst the powerful & strong vocals punch through the song climaxing in a muse –esque outro riff.

A self proclaimed ‘filtered mishmash of quirky riffs, effects and distortion’ Mount Fabric are held together and taken to the next level by strong cult vocals, catchy melodies and beautiful executed dynamics. This is a band for those who appreciate music that isn’t afraid to be different and clearly contains a vast amount of love and thought in its creation. In criticism, Mount Fabric may be guilty of putting a little too much though into exploring anything bar their forte and not enough time breaking the generic backbone to their songs.