IN REVIEW: "Play Dead" by Mutemath

After an experiment in minimalism that left many fans cold (2015's Vitals), Mutemath's fifth album marks a welcome return to the band's fully fleshed out and no holds barred approach. The most obvious carryover from Vitals is the reliance on electronic flourishes (and, in turn, less reliance on guitars), although Mutemath remains very much a rock band on Play Dead; that said, this is an album that's at its wild hearted best when it's at its least traditional. Hit Parade's sinewy rhythm and multi-layered melodies make it an unlikely earworm, and yet the song does crawl inside your head upon repeat listens. Stroll On, meanwhile, uses odd samples and off-kilter rhythms as jagged puzzle pieces; when the full picture is reveled, it's as surreal as it is undeniably catchy, even as it threatens to go off the rails completely in its closing moments.

There aren't many places Play Dead won't go, from the '80s funk-soaked tones of Break the Fever and Everything's New to the dark and sinister rocker War. It all seems to come together on penultimate track Achilles Heel, a subwoofer-tickling hip-hop beat that gets layer upon layer of sonic trickery heaped on top of it until it explodes into a cacophony of noisy melodies; this track is also a reminder of the group's not-so-secret weapon, drummer Darren King, who sadly left the band after the recording of Play Dead. As Achilles Heel's busy beats signal, a drum machine accompanied by an accomplished programmer may be the only suitable replacement for King's often inhuman drumming.

All told, Play Dead is all the more notable when compared to Mutemath's angular rock beginnings; there's precious little semblance of the band's debut to be heard here, and that would be a more damning indictment of the band if they hadn't evolved into something far more interesting than just another crew of indie rock also-rans. The future of Mutemath is nearly impossible to predict in terms of both their personnel and their sound; whatever transpires, Play Dead makes a case for Mutemath being one of the decade's most intriguing bands.

September 8, 2017 • Wojtek Records
Highlights Hit Parade • Stroll On • Achilles Heel