Their Dark(est) Materials
If you've been following us at Slow Motion Panic Masters over the past few months, it's likely become clear that we love Mawpit. It might be my patriotism shining through, but with every new single released this trio proves themselves to be more and more ready for a South Wales takeover in 2021.
Cardiff's underground music scene was in a difficult position before COVID-19. An already shrinking list of venues and opportunities for emerging artists is becoming smaller and smaller, and though initiatives like the inspired Blind Tiger Sessions made sure at least some of Cardiff's creativity shone on, it's impressive that Mawpit are continuing undeterred during this pandemic.
The third of their 2020 singles, 'Cittàgazze' could be the band's best, and I say that having absolutely obsessed over both 'Nature's Curse' and 'Eat A Corpse.' I'm going to sound like a broken record returning to my same old praises, but they still ring true. Mawpit are wonderfully reinventing the kind of hard-nosed alternative rock that disappeared somewhere circa 2006 (Razorlight, I love you, but it might be your fault).
Mawpit always sound like their playing the best basement gig you've ever heard. I cannot wait for the opportunity to be in the same room with Cait, Aled and Jordan. Their songs are great to stream, but its so evident that these are tunes designed for live shows. I don't care where these guys get squeezed into, they are going to tear the roof off, their songs are that fundamentally brilliant. I cannot believe how in love I have become with the sound of Jordan's guitar. It's such an inch perfect fusion of everything I love about the sound of Smashing Pumpkins and Bad Religion records, and it's unlike pretty much everything I'm hearing from the UK underground right now. Amidst fantastically no-nonsense drum contributions from Aled, smacking the shit out of his kit, Cait's latest vocal effort demonstrates a new aspect of her increasingly obvious malleability.
Drawing her lyrics from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, not only is Cait still clearly a very capable lyricist with 'Cittàgazze', but offers a much softer and dynamic side to her performance. While the track might never scream quite like 'Eat A Corpse' did, when this latest song kicks into gear it is a sound to behold. There are the occasional wobbles in the clarity and tune of Cait's voice, as to be expected by an independent release, but this remains a supremely impressive effort from what is probably our favourite Welsh group to emerge in 2020.
TL;DR - Mawpit are so fucking good. You need to listen to 'Cittàgazze' and you need to listen to Mawpit. When we get past COVID, I will be seeing this band in the flesh at the first chance I get, and I heavily recommend that you come too.
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Thanks for reading! Slow Motion Panic Masters is a music, arts and culture blog created and edited by Ben Wheadon, a literature student and musician based at the University of Oxford. He is also a Fleet Foxes shill.
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