What do you get if you mix the chaotic psychedelia of King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard, the fuzzed-out stoner energy of The Melvins and the raw, lo-fi production of Neutral Milk Hotel? Apart from a wet dream for men in tiny beanies who watch too much Anthony Fantano, you’d get something close to eccentric five-piece Mothman, The Man. Only a year on from their debut full-length the Falmouth natives are back with their follow-up Where’s Your Head?, taking their sound to strange new places with cryptid obsessed storytelling and extended Zappa inspired jams.
From the first notes of intro track ‘Where’s Your Head?’ you’ll know if Mothman, The Man are the band for you, the experimental synth-infused stoner riffs drilling into any listener’s brain and burrowing in. The playful spirit of Mothman, The Man reverberates through the whole album with off-kilter guitar parts, retro inspired synths and repetitive mantra-like lyrics appearing throughout, ‘Where’s Your Head?’ sets the album off as it means to go on with an earworm chorus set against a backdrop of nauseating, swirling, whirling organs and guitars. If you can’t handle Mothman, The Man’s unabashed weirdness on ‘Where’s Your Head?’ then this is your warning, TURN BACK NOW, things will only get more absurd from here on in.
“If you can’t handle Mothman, The Man’s unabashed weirdness on ‘Where’s Your Head?’ then this is your warning, TURN BACK NOW, things will only get more absurd from here on in.”
As far as Mothman, The Man venture into unexplored territory on Where’s Your Head? they still manage to remain relatively accessible with straightforward song structures, clear melodies and typical rock track lengths. Despite pushing boundries with their wacky take on stoner-infused garage rock tracks like ‘The Light’ and ‘Not Owned’ stand out as the closest thing to radio-friendly on the album with, compared to the rest of the album, a more serious tone, less frantic pace and a stripped-back feel. You certainly won’t be hearing Mothman, The Man on next year’s That’s What I Call Music but it’s still great to see them practise restraint before flying back into their psychedelic zaniness.
If the success of the Fast and Furious movies has taught us anything it’s that everyone loves a sequel, Mothman, The Man are creating the next big franchise with their track ‘Cult Of Bone Pt. 2 – The Odyssey Of Clive Gatorkill’. This spoken word/country-western/psych rock hybrid follows the titular Clive Gatorkill as he faces off against Acid Scott, the protagonist of the first instalment. The storytelling here is fantastic, building in every way upon the original track to create an interesting world inspired by the tropes of horror-westerns and the weird west with a tongue-in-cheek love of cowboy camp. Fingers crossed we’ll soon hear the next thrilling episode of the ‘Cult Of Bone’ saga.
“You certainly won’t be hearing Mothman, The Man on next year’s That’s What I Call Music but it’s still great to see them practise restraint before flying back into their psychedelic zaniness.”
Special attention has to be paid to ‘Mother Leeds’ 13th Child, Pts. 1 & 2’ the final extravagant, climactic track on Where’s Your Head? for its deep dive into doomy prog rock, ending the album on a chaotic, 70s inspired bang. Effortlessly blending the complex layered sound of bands like King Crimson with the huge stoner riffs of Electric Wizard, this 7 minute closing track finally lets Mothman, The Man fully let loose and commit to a glorious, extended, self-indulgent jam session. The two parts of the ‘Mother Leeds’ closing track follow on from each other narratively but take different tones, separated by an instrumental intermission, with the second part being noticeably darker and occult themed, sounding much closer to early Ghost than the psych-prog first half.
Where’s Your Head? certainly won’t be to everyone’s tastes. The combination of neo-psychedelia, prog and fuzzed-out stoner rock will absolutely be enough to send the more weak-willed rock fans running for the hills. However, if you take up the niche little overlap in the right venn diagram then Mothman, The Man might be your new favourite band.