Following their very promising demo from 2022, which shared eight tracks of blistering hardcore punk, noise-making Texans Mugger sound a little more polished on their first “proper” release. It’s clear, though, within a few bars of the first track, that any actual polishing is relative. Yes, their ‘Get A Clue’ release (being touted as an EP, despite only featuring two tracks) sounds bigger and a touch more professional, but it really doesn’t present the band in any more of a commercially viable manner.
The stronger of these tracks, the title cut, opens with a repetitious grinding riff that promises something absolutely brutal. What transpires beyond that is a spiky verse, attacking with a rhythm that’s similar to a few tracks from the Screeching Weasel debut (back in the late 80s, when Ben and his band desperately wanted to be Adrenalin OD) played with the brutality of Kill Bell. The echoing sound of the demo still cuts through the lead vocal, which helps Mugger to sound a little different within a veritable ocean of similar bands, and the angrily spat delivery is as punchy as the relentless and dominant drum sound. Revisiting the intro to link the verses gives this short piece a proper sense of vitality, but it’s actually when slowing down ever so slightly that Mugger come into their own. The last few bars of this number latch onto a powerful hardcore sound with more of a chug, which provides a pleasingly tough backdrop for Anna Troxell’s incendiary delivery.
‘Find Out’ (featuring a guest performance from Negative Approach man John Brannon) is almost as good. A chopping, speed driven rhythm sets up a classic hardcore stance, and the decision to drown that in a wall of feedback makes everything feel even more aggressive. Slowing down for the chorus, Mugger show a real affinity for a classic sounding hardcore breakdown, with guitarist Daniel Fried casting out a fantastically huge tone. He’s able to share something that sounds a little bigger without taking the hardcore punk influences into metal – as is often the case with a lot of US hardcore bands from the 90s onwards – whilst the rhythm section (Patrick Troxell on drums, and Lisa Alley on bass) lock into something more groove-oriented. It mightn’t add much that’s new to a classic hardcore sound, but fans of the genre will definitely find plenty here to enjoy.
This is a definite musical shift for Anna and Patrick, since there’s very little here that has any real link with their Creepoid recordings. This is tough, raw and in many ways, defiantly old school, and it’s all the better for that. Both tracks revisit those old American hardcore roots of bands like D.I. and Government Issue, and their classic stance is bound to win fans, whether or not they’re old enough to remember the hardcore scene’s groundbreaking first wave. Despite taking a fairly predictable approach, musically speaking, this short and sharp musical assault definitely puts Mugger on the road to punk greatness.
September 2024