Mute Math

Ideally, recording is a flat sound. A dead sample. Take all the components of the unpredictable and dimensional live show, squish them together and you inevitably end up losing some of them on the way to the press. That’s just how it works. Artists that master the manipulation of flat sounds make amazing records. However, there are a group of incredible artists out there that will never be able to translate what their live show consists of onto disc. Mute Math is one of them. Hailing from New Orleans, their experimental, melodic rock sounds basic on their debut, especially to the untrained ear. But by paying closer attention to detail (or by spotting one of their live sets on YouTube), one will hear inspirational blemishes, intricate harmony balancing, and the most eye watering element of this whole production: the beauty drum contributions. Standout tracks like "After We Have Left Our Homes,” a lofty lullaby, is less accessible than the mediocre moments on the album, "Chaos” or "Typical,” which are solid, anthem-like songs that shouldn’t be surprised to find themselves on alt-rock radio stations next to the newest Snow Patrol or Mobile single.