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Mar 26, 2021 Web Exclusive By Dom Gourlay

Leeds based experimentalists Mush have spent the past five years deconstructing then rebuilding the art rock and post punk templates into something of their own doing. So, it shouldn’t come as any surprise their latest collection of songs veers off the beaten track more than it follows any predesigned instruction. The follow-up to 2020’s debut 3D Routine, which itself was the culmination of a string of critically acclaimed singles and EPs. Lines Redacted is steeped in tragedy due to the tragic passing of guitarist Steven Tyson just before Christmas, whose contribution towards this record and in shaping the band’s sound in general can never be underestimated.

Recorded last year with locally based and highly reputable duo Jamie Lockhart and Lee Smith on production and mixing duties respectively, Lines Redacted continues where its predecessor left off. Guitarist and songwriter Dan Hyndman finds himself at his most abstract throughout the record’s 12 individual pieces. Mush have always prided themselves as being socially and politically aware without ever feeling the need to force their opinions down people’s throats. which has always been a key facet of Hyndman’s writing. So, when “Seven Trumpets” takes a swipe at the current UK government (“Conservative with a small ‘c’”) and “Positivity” sticks up two fingers at Boris Johnson’s faux Churchill aspirations (“Blitz spirit you get the gist, and I’m off my tits on happiness”), it’s clear which side of the fence Mush are on. And rightly so!

“B2BCDA” is prime Stephen Malkmus channeled through the disemboweled urges of Parquet Courts or No Age. Indeed, it’s the way Mush take the blueprint set by their influences then turn it into something unrecognizable that sets them apart from the more strategically aligned post-punk contingent of the present. Both “Morf” and “Bots!” take unexpected left turns at their most transient moments, while the gloriously epic “Lines Discontinued” brings the album to a tumultuous finale. Lines Redacted can be an uneasy listen in places but perseverance will reap rewards. (www.mushband.bandcamp.com)

Author rating: 7/10