Start Listening To: Mutes
We caught up with Birmingham’s post-punk band Mutes, getting to learn a little more about their hometown, their plans post-pandemic, alcohol abuse, and the ideas, processes, and politics behind their music.
Can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?
We’re James, Craig and Tom, from the Home of Metal (AKA Birmingham), UK! I guess our music is an introspective, explorative take on post-punk — we like long songs, alternate tunings, cryptic lyrics and lots of volume.
How did you meet each other?
The band started off as James’ solo project in 2014 and has gone through around 10 members since then! The current lineup of the 3 of us was solidified in 2019: Tom and James (I, me, myself) had worked together on past Mutes releases through the former’s FOMA label, and we’d had our wishful eye on Craig for a while. One night, with the moon full and the stars aligned, we finally came to be as one — and it has been a beautiful joyride ever since!
How has living in Birmingham influenced you as artists?
Birmingham has some bonafide living legends in its scene — people like Pete Dixon, Anna Palmer, Alexei Berrow and Scott Abott who were all in reputable bands when I moved there as a wide-eyed teenager back in 2009. And the fact that those people amongst others are still going and making great music — that’s what inspires me about Birmingham. We’re a modest bunch here, but there’s a lot of “lifers” — creatives who will keep on doing it no matter what. It’s that “us versus the world” mentality that I witnessed when younger which let me realise you could create art without it defining your income — it’s an honest place where people just get on with it. The music scene pre-pandemic was getting back to the glory days of the early 2010s, so I hope it picks up right where it left off! Some of our local faves are Outlander, Hoopla Blue, Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam, Table Scraps, Sunnk, Matters, Dorcha, Mayors of Toronto and Johnny Foreigner.
What is your songwriting process like?
Unlike the “one man and his band” days of yore, we’re pretty collaborative at this point. Generally, I’ll have 70% of a song down, I’ll take it to the lockup and we’ll hammer it into a more fully realised shape. Sometimes I have lyrics and vocals already done, but often I’ll compose them after the music’s finished, through trial and error. We are constantly writing; we only play old songs when we need to relearn them for a gig!
How did you produce your upcoming album Dreams of Being Cornered?
All these songs were written in 2019 and tried and tested on the toilet circuit. This record is a true reflection of the live band that honed it; we had plenty of shows to fine-tune the songs and figure out what was working and what wasn’t. We went in with Mark at Megatone Studios and banged it out in 2 labour-intensive days, with myself doing vocals and synths at my flat afterwards. There’s also odds and ends from over the years chucked in as segues — I like mixing the hi-fi with the lo-fi, the new with the old.
We love your new single ‘Severe Clear’. Can you tell us more about the lyrics in this track?
The song is basically about alcohol abuse. I wasn’t coping too well in 2019 and went off the deep end into a bottle or 10. I got myself together eventually, but it’s about the horror of realising your own inadequacy in the light of sobriety, and how you can see that you’re destroying yourself, but feel unable to step in and stop it, hence feeling “born into a grave of my own design”. There are also a few J Alfred Prufrock lines in there because all great artists steal.
What are some themes from your new album?
In no particular order: dying, food, drugs, Dad, love, self-hatred, drink, mundanity.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Television, Grizzly Bear, King Crimson, Deerhunter, Sonic Youth, Kurt Vonnegut, Broadcast, Zappa, Swell Maps, Mission of Burma, Felt, Radiohead, Women, Hole, The Stooges, Alice In Chains.
Where do you want to be 10 years from now?
Free from the corruption of this awful Tory government, still making music that we are challenged and excited by, and playing/watching shows with our friends. But with lighter amps and easier load-ins.
What do you want to achieve with your music?
To feel like we have created something honest and vital that truly reflects the personalities of the people behind it — warts and all. If other people enjoy it and find some solace or reflection of themselves within it, then that is humbling and all the more validating.
Are there any venues/stages you’re hoping to play one day?
We’ve never played the Brudenell in Leeds, which people keep hammering on about as being the best venue in the UK, so that’d be nice! I’d also love to play a festival outside. Despite our gothic predisposition, we do like to catch some rays now and again.
Is there any new music from 2021 that you’re enjoying?
Lael Neale, Spirit of the Beehive, Outlander, Anna B Savage, Serpentwithfeet, Maximo Park, Chad Vangaalen. All amazing in their own way!
What else can we expect from you in 2021? Any more releases planned?
We’re finalising a UK tour with some dear friends of ours for September, and hoping to get back into the studio to record another album (or 2) towards the end of the year! We’re also crossing our fingers and toes and hoping that all the industry-related people we’ve ever worked with who have been impacted by this pandemic are able to get back to doing what they love in a safe and enjoyable way — it’s been too long!
Do you have any final life lessons or tips for our readers?
Don’t take anything for granted, and realise that jealousy, bitterness and self-pity are wasted energies. Focus on yourself, and what you can achieve, and where you can surround yourself with people with whom you have mutual admiration and respect.
