If, by an album’s finish, you feel nothing short of reborn, how will you ever grow tired of said album? Cincinnati post-punks Mardou (feat. members of Vacation) have rather cleverly explored such a concept on their debut LP, Cold Grasp, out June 16 on Moniker Records, ending a dark and fun and wholly personal trip around the human psyche with “June,” a reviver of a song if ever there was one. It’s a riff-induced coma from which you will indeed wake, rejuvenated, rehabilitated, refreshed, take your pick of “re-“ words to satisfy your satisfaction. Choral guitar blissfully drifts in an old convertible down a happily warbled road, its engine revolving around the thwacking snare of the rhythm. It’s a melodic trip during which you can very easily close your eyes, breathe deep and easy, and physically feel the burdens of your past self alleviating, even those from just moments ago. Singer Dylan McCartney’s reverberated vocals feel like a friend sitting next to you on a bench, putting their arm around you and reassuringly telling you it’s time to start anew. “Just look how I did it,” he seems to say in the line, “But I died, came back in June.” It’s kinda nice. And its instrumental outro hammers it home, making for a fresh listen every time you go back to track one.
And. Usually, it feels somewhat unfavorable to compare artists to artists, or to reference influences explicitly when describing a band (at least personally speaking, having gotten it wrong in the past), but Mardou openly flaunt their touch of Guided By Voices, so there’s that on top.
See Mardou this June!
10 – Cincinnati at Woodward Theatre w/ ONO
13 – Columbus at Cafe Bourbon St w/ Pretty Pretty, American Jobs, Future Nuns
14 – Detroit w/ Pretty Pretty at TBA
15 – Toronto at Smiling Buddha w/ Pretty Pretty
16 – Ottawa Explosion
17 – Ottawa Explosion
18 – Montreal at Folk Festival
19 – Salem, MA w/ Switzerlands, Pretty Pretty, Off Whites
20 – Brooklyn NYC at TBA w/ Shellshag, Pretty Pretty, Dopamines
21 – Philly at LAVASPACE w/ Pretty Pretty
