Mumble Tide – Everything Ugly (Orange Vinyl)

Everything Ugly is set to give a front seat view to the self-contained world of Mumble Tide. The duo began when Gina Leonard advertised for a bassist in a Gumtree ad and Ryan Rogers responded; “the boyfriend part was a bonus”, notes Gina. Their scrappy, chaotic sound is the result of the freedom they feel around one another. From the off, they made clear nothing was out of bounds – nothing was too corny, nothing was too cutesy and nothing was too petulant.

That wild abandon was showcased in full force on the singles taken from Everything Ugly. ‘Breakfast’ opened with the lyrics “everyone’s an arsehole”, while ‘Sucker, with its blistering, garage-infused guitars, imagined Gina flicking two fingers up at previous baggage and strutting off into the distance.

Though perhaps a little more introspective, ‘Good 4 Me’ is no different. Composed on a ‘crap casio keyboard’ bought from a dentist on Facebook Marketplace, ‘Good 4 Me’ also features sparkly synths, trumpets and, in their own words, ‘a stupid guitar solo’.

With ‘On My Deathbed There’s A Full Page (You Don’t Get To Read It) Gina takes aim at herself, confessing “I’m a damn fool” over bright, squalling guitars. The injection of such a light-hearted barb reveals the band’s unrelenting dedication to fun, particularly when you consider the darker motivations that inform the track.

The noisy and frantic final single ‘Noodle’ sees the band throw everything at the wall, including using a couple of 90’s toy walkie talkies feedbacking off of each other for the “lead guitar.”

Mumble Tide’s taste for world building doesn’t end with their self-directed videos, indeed the duo also produce their own songs and design their own artwork. Everything Ugly promises to take us on an unplotted course through the madness. With songs this infectious, they’re free to lead us wherever they like.

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