As we loudly mourn the loss of one of our favorite Castle Face Records bands, The Mallard, through longform tributes and dedications that go beyond the pale, another band on the inimitable roster comes through to take their place.
RUNNING, despite how much this stretched-out verisimilitude will ring of bullshit music writing, actually mimics the act of going for an empowering run when you listen to their terse, aggressive, and succinct new album, Vaguely Ethnic. The nine tracks never lose themselves too far into the sloppy garage-punk category—each song has its own guitar screeching and vocal wails, but they are maintained within limits that keep the record moving along with ease. The tracks caterwaul and bend with a phenomonal underlying rhythm section that does everything to maintain efficiency. It's a lithe record—never too big and never too small—that will sadly be over before you even knew it began. Like the sweat on your brow after a good, cleansing run, listening to Vaguely Ethnic will make you feel athletic and large. The Mallard may have left, but RUNNING is picking up the slack in their stead.
You can stream the full record below, and then pick it up through Castle Face at this link on August 6.
