Sydney punk/rock troupe Mucho Sonar have been around for a while now, releasing a self-titled EP a couple of years ago and now returning, in 2016, with their debut full-lengther, Rodents.
And what a heady mix of fun-time rock n’roll treats it is too. Fusing elements of acts such as Dog Eat Dog (the Sax solo on second track Silent Speak is sure to spark happy memories of the All Boro Kings at their best), Rocket From the Crypt (the perky Get Yourself Right, reprised here from the EP, could be a long-lost outtake from Scream, Dracula Scream!, which round these parts at least is high praise indeed) and a host of other vital punk and metal bands from the last twenty years, Rodents is a non-stop human jukebox of should-be hits.
Devil’s Call has a real whiff of Motörhead to it thanks to the insistent drumming of Chunk and the driving guitars of former Hell City Glamours man Mo Mayhem and Ben Kelly; The Horn infused Don’t Think is altogether more punky, slathering on the simplistic yet effective riffs and gang vocals in infectious manner, kinda like Therapy? might have sounded like if they had an ounce of funk in them. Elsewhere heaviest track Victim will probably be of most interest to Sentinel Daily readers, possessing as it does some rather doomy riffage at the songs outset before clicking into a nice NWoBHM gallop. And, surprisingly, those horns work well in this context too! Imagine Adam and the Ants jamming with Angel Witch (go on – it’s not hard) and you’re getting a pretty good picture of what this enticing mashup sounds like.
Closing track Another Day Another Dollar is another highlight, though it’s hard to point the finger at any track here as a weak link, thus rendering the selection of highlights effectively redundant. But closing the album in rousing Auspunk style definitely leaves the listener wanting more. So much more, in fact that, you’ll find yourself going back to the start and pressing play again straight away as the track fades away into the ether. Then, as you absent mindedly find yourself humming the virulently catchy refrains of the songs on Rodents as you go about your business you’ll realise that, like me, you’ve been thoroughly snared by Mucho Sonar.
Rodents is out now – buy it here:
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