Mothman, The Man is the brainchild of British singer/guitarist/songwriter Connor Childs, after going through a number of lineup changes, the band finally came to shape after he was joined by his uni. mates Billy Mattock (Drums/Flugal Horn), Finley Kelly (Guitar) and Billy Tucker (Bass/Producer) which lead to the release of their 1st EP “The Mothman”. Mothman, The Man mixes a number of influences on this EP ranging from lo-fi fuzz folk to grunge and stoner all in their very own modern vision that made it even more unique.
“The Mothman” welcomes you with a deep fuzzy riff on “Scott Pilgrim Type Beat” that sums up the entire EP’s tone. It’s a short straight-to-the-point one with heavy riffs and an energetic beat that’ll prepare you for what you’re about to experience. The creeping intro riff of “Formaldehyde” grabbed my attention from the 1st note, it just keeps on getting heavier as the song progresses and I love the way they divided the riff at the bridge creating an intense build-up that sent me headbanging by the chorus!
After a guaranteed session of headbanging to “Formaldehyde”, don’t let “Do You Hear the Sounds?” fool you by its laidback verse melody and slow heavy riffs coz, it transitions smoothly into a roller coaster ride in bridge and chorus. Those changes gave it a dark psychedelic vibe, especially with that guitar tone adding a new flavor to the mix. They released an animated music video for it and I would say that’s a perfect choice. The ride continues with “Optimistic Fuzz” which has a killer solo and a raw old school sound that I really dig, I feel like it made it even heavier and “fuzzier”. “Headlights” keeps building up at the intro then explodes into a pure stoner rock sound with some Electric Wizard vibes, it’s heavy and dynamic with a super energetic drumline, relentless riff, and lots of bass. If you think you’ve heard what Mothman, The Man is all about then let “Concept of Time” change all that. They decided to go with a punk-influenced riff and beat while keeping their signature riffing style and throwing a neck-breaking, jump around breakdown around min 2:30 just to make sure no one is standing still. “Mothman, Pts.1 & 2” ends the EP with a new sound, it starts with a surprising acoustic section that evolves into an energetic – I would dare to say festive – sound. It shows that they are open to experimenting with new sounds and arrangements which made me even more curious about where they can go from there.
“The Mothman” EP is a really interesting piece that succeeded in fusing some modern riffs and style with raw heavy grungy sounds all dipped in a stoner rock fuzz that added a lot of texture and depth to their playing. As a fan of heavy and innovative music, I’ll be recommending this to everyone and definitely looking forward for the next release. Cheers.
