Recorded live at The Heavy’s studio inside Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios, MUTE TV’s recent track “Broken Drum” captures the South West trio’s musicianship in a performance-driven setting. Released via Medical Grade Music, the single explores the uneven complexities of human relationships through a blend of post-punk tension and noise-pop allure. With engineering by Chris Ellul of The Heavy and mixing by band member Joe Mountain, the recording preserves the raw energy of three musicians playing together in real time.
A stutter-y intrigue quickly develops into a rhythmically inclined resonance as the track gets underway, pairing moody post-punk bass allure with thumping percussion. Chilly guitar tones ease in alongside the stirring lead emergence, recounting: “I spoke to the old man, he says stop your crying / It takes a lot to disappoint me, but thank you for trying.” Fervent guitars and head-nodding percussion follow alongside the intensified performance, beckoning to “shut it down” with punk-ready vigor before returning to the “old man” verses.
A striking shift shows around midpoint, where the guitars assume a twanging steadiness as the rumbling post-punk bass feeling continues. “Your everything was my everything,” the delivery then emits a fervent refrain, punctuated by a biting “what a shame.” The thematic outlook on relationships in life seems highlighted in this particular line, highlighting how even those that carry the most weight can come crashing down. A lingering, feedback-touched guitar tone then concludes the track in satiating form, marking a thorough success from MUTE TV, deftly balancing emotiveness and moody rock infectiousness.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
