In 2004, at a time when half the world was hopped up on the sounds of the Franz Ferdinand debut and Arcade Fire’s ‘Funeral’ (an album the Canadian band have never bettered), and at a time when Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’ was making inroads into being a best seller, somewhere in the wilds of Boston, Muck and The Mires were making garage rock noises for a much smaller audience. Not that the love poured into the tunes on their ‘Beginner’s Muck’ LP was any the lesser; the energy on that record spoke for itself, and the band’s love of Flamin’ Groovies and other retro fare propelled them forward, subsequently making stronger albums whilst retaining admiration from the underground power pop fans.

By the release of 2014’s ‘Dial M For Muck’ – continuing an obvious flair for picking album titles, their best arguably being ‘Muckingham Palace’ – the lead vocals had become much stronger, and on tunes like ‘Cheating Yourself’, the energy from The Hives (circa ‘Tyrannosaurus Hives’) became more apparent. Arguably, Muck and the lads sounded better than ever.

In terms of greatness, they hit their peak with the 2023 single ‘Cool Imposter’, so it’s great to hear that reprised on the band’s 2025 long player ‘Beat Revolution’. In many ways, that’s a number that sums up the heart of the whole record with its very retro guitar sound that borrows heavily from the Merseybeat movement. In true Muck tradition, though, the 60s vibes are amped up, both in terms of volume and energy, and with the help of a hard power pop bassline, the track comes with solid groundings. It’s musically strong, but its real infectiousness hits via a repetitive chorus, which the band sells with gusto. As with previous Mucky fare, it’s a little ragged in places, but for retro rock-pop fans, its charm should be more than evident.

Although The Mires can seem rough and ready, their desire to give their audience a good time carries through ‘Beat Revolution’s other standout tracks. One of these – the title cut – makes a great opener. Building from a pounding British Invasion style beat, the drums take centre stage with a world of heavy tom work interspersed with cool hi-hat flourishes, whilst a particularly twangy guitar stokes up the energy throughout. The solid garage rock backdrop is joined by an equally rousing lyric, becoming an effective call to arms once the repetitive hook implores everyone to “join the beat revolution”. It’s all rather simple, but therein lies the charm. Muck and The Mires have often valued energy over complexity and this is certainly no exception. In a similar vein, ‘Down In The Underground’ hits upon a perfect 60s garage rock sound with immediate effect, with Jesse Best’s drums taking centre stage once more, but a more prominent organ gives the track enough of a different feel, with the swirling sounds capturing the magic of old Question Mark & The Mysterians recordings. It’s not a track that aims to break any new ground, but in terms of capturing these Mucky dudes going off at full pelt, it’s definitely an album highlight.

‘Mary Ann Man’ retains the same feeling of energy, but by twisting the garage rock riffs into something that allows for a slight surf influence in places, it shows how effortlessly this band can apply their talents to different retro sounds. Although Muck’s sharp rhythm guitar work plays a huge role here, the number is very much driven by an enthused vocal, which powers the verse with a real intent, but really comes into its own on a big hook that’s loaded with harmonies. Like all the best Mires material, it’s as if the band have hopped into a time machine to 1966, overdosed on old Paul Revere records and returned with the spoils.

In a change of mood, ‘Julia’s Got A Boyfriend’ owes more to the speed driven pop punk and razor sharp power pop of Dan Vapid & The Cheats fused with garage rock drums that are more in keeping with typical Mucky wares. This side step, in some ways, should stick out like a sore thumb: however, the band’s sheer energy coupled with a great vocal gives the track a superb send off, and the rousing harmonies that arrive to give the coda a welcome boost are among the album’s strongest. For those who demand more “traditional” Muck fare, this is immediately followed by the brilliant ‘Lemon & Lime’, a garage rocker that places a pre-Beatle, early 60s twang at the forefront and capitalises on a chorus that invites the listener to cut loose and sing along from somewhere around the second play. Yes, it’s that immediate, and with some particularly tight work from a very focused rhythm section to sharpen things even further, this could even be an album highlight.

There are a couple of moments where the band appear to be going through the motions a little more, but after twenty years working a very similar sound, that’s sort of to be expected. That said, even at its weakest, this album offers a retro charm that’s still appealing, and that’s very much the case during ‘You Can’t Try It (Before You Buy It)’ on which the band sound like a supercharged Searchers and (ironically or not) actually offer listeners something that sounds like a track they would have already tried, and ‘Carefree’, a mod-ish workout that sounds like Muck and friends reworking a flat sounding Secret Affair. hese tracks are not in any way bad, of course, but if you’ve invested in previous Muck works, you’ll not feel as if these tracks are especially new.

Elsewhere, you’ll discover ‘The World’s Gone Mad’ a number that fuses a British Invasion tone to a sharper riff, adding bridge sections that sound a little more like The Hives circa their very commercial ‘Lex Hives’ LP. For garage rock and power pop enthusiasts that feel this might veer a little too far from a classic, “traditional” sound, a great chorus full of 60s tinged “la la”s will redress the balance, before ‘She’s Too Good For You’ crashes in with a pulsing bass from John Quincy Mire, who continues to bring a huge muscle beneath a wall of chiming guitars that sound like they’ve been lifted straight off a couple of ‘Nuggets’ era recordings. This is one of those numbers that might have felt the benefit from a slightly lighter vocal, but the music is excellent throughout, and sounds especially good when guitarists Pedro Mire and Muck trade in some of the jangle for a Byrds-esque chime. In terms of 60s homage, this is pin-sharp.

Although music can be arty and complex, sometimes it’s merely about sharing a sense of fun, and that’s certainly the focus here. Those who’ve journeyed with Muck and The Mires since their earliest days will not be in for any big surprises with this record, but those fans certainly won’t be disappointed with what’s offered. Perhaps it’s more important that ‘Beat Revolution’ plays well for the first time listener – it’s arguably more consistent than the band’s earlier records – which might just help the fan base to grow a little more. It’s not a perfect record by any means, but it’s definitely a huge hearted, knockabout listen that certainly doesn’t wear out its welcome too quickly.

June 2025/February 2026