Down Tools

Practically every piece written about Leeds-based indie rock band Mush mentions their distinctive guitar style up front, so if one of their guitarists is absent, it would stand to reason that their sound would change. Steve Tyson, who played guitar with Mush, died shortly before the release of their second album, 2021s Lines Redacted, and surviving members Dan Hyndman (guitar and vocals), Nick Grant (bass), and Phil Porter (drums) cut 2022s Down Tools as a trio. Hyndman is clearly more than capable of handling the guitar work on his own, and he overdubs solos and additional layers of sound on most tracks. However, most of the time, Down Tools sounds noticeably more open and less manic than the bands previous salvos. The guitars take angular detours around the melodies in less dramatic ways here, with less swimming against the current atonality. The effect has Hyndmans guitars seeming a bit tipsy rather than caught up in a frenzy of discord, and the rest of the band follows suit, keeping the tempos and impact in a more reasonable place. The broad, cartoon-y vocal phrasing Hyndman was so attached to has been diluted by half, now sounding like an overly mannered Richard Hell, and this bands Pavement influence, clearly audible on their first and second LPs, has grown that much stronger on these sessions. Overall, Down Tools is the sound of Mush learning to relax a bit, but only so much. "Ground Swell," "Ink Block and the Wedge," and "Northern Safari" show they can still run on nervous energy when they choose, and Hyndmans guitar work slices deep on these cuts, while the simulated locked-groove coda of the title track is a bracing testament to their continued commitment to noise. Does Down Tools represent a kinder, gentler approach for Mush, or is it the sound of a band catching their breath as they pause to mourn the loss of a friend and collaborator? The real answer isnt likely to come until they record with new guitarist Myles Kirk, but taken on its own merits, Down Tools shows Mush can smooth down their surfaces a bit and still sound challenging and subversively witty, and as long as they do, theyll be worth hearing. ~ Mark Deming