NightGoose Records, 27 September 2020
Mantis Watch sprinkle a little bit of rock and roll swagger over top their punk rock.
Fresno's Mantis Watch seem to deal with a bit of an identity crisis on their newest collection, Channel 101 Demos. While fast rippers bookend the EP with angst and energy, swagger and a real garage-y rock and roll feel shows its face in between. It makes for an interesting, if a little uneven, listen.
My favorite Mantis Watch stuff goes a little something like this. Fast simple drums beating out an accelerated heart beat while guitars and bass hold things together and a distinct lead guitar drips overtop. “Dr. Asshole” starts things off well enough with a bunch of pace and some driving and addictive lead guitar. And the vocals are pretty cool and unique, reminding a bit of someone that I can't quite put a finger on (I'm thinking Buzzcocks Pete Shelley, maybe, but maybe not, too). This one has very little fat, just propelling forward and flattening everything in its path while spitting through some angry dumb lyrics. Speaking of dumb songs, “Laserfart 2020” and “Robot Bastard” both fall in line. “Laserfart 2020” is a poppy mid-tempo stomp with a really cool melodic bassline. It gets done in 32 seconds, which is just about right. “Robot Bastard”, my personal favorite on the record (and the closer), is faster again, sort of similar to the opener, but with more of a bounce and lots of added pop and energy. Plus, it's fun to sing along to the “robot bastard” refrain.
On a couple of songs, though, Mantis Watch digs into the rock and roll garage with swagger. The playing on the slower middle songs is fantastic, but the songs don't land with nearly the force of the more energetic stuff on either side. “Call Me Cobra” is just a rock and roll song. I can't complain about the playing, the bass sounds great as do the guitars. But the groove and swagger just don't land right for me. Same goes for “Back to the ‘Bu”. Again, there's some super melodic bass, but the vocals croon a bit more on here and the song just seems to drag a bit. It's a taste thing, no doubt. But I think Mantis Watch hits best when they bash away at punkier songs.
Mantis Watch's Channel 101 Demos is a pretty good listen. The songs are mostly solid, but I'd honestly like to have heard it as a 3-song set. Nonetheless, those who like some mid-to-lofi punk rock will find lots to like around the edges and those who are digging garage nuggets can skip ahead to the third and fourth songs and find something up their alley, too.
Favorite song: “Robot Bastard”
Favorite moment: the great melodic bass in “Laserfart 2020”
Favorite whatever else: it's a toss-up for favorite song title on here, with both “Laserfart 2020” and “Robot Bastard” hitting me right
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He's very secretive, he might be an alien.
