Mutts Company CD cover

Mutts Company 2Mutt’s Company isn’t wasting time. Ultimate newcomers, the Danish quartet is under a year old and already leaving its imprint on the Copenhagen music scene with its trippy concoction of dreamy psychedelic rock, hearkening back to a time – and a place – far removed from its own.

The band’s first EP, Jump Ship, is spiked with shrieking licks, catchy lyrics (in English), and a sound that may be just a tad too commercial. Taking the baton from fellow contemporaries like Dr. Dog, Mutt’s Company is the type of accessible psychedelic rock that bridges the gap between modern rock and legends – before jumping off said bridge.

Mutts Company 3The mellow groove of “Winterworn” lulls the listener to hypnosis before screaming guitars rip away in desperate and urgent wake-up call. Meanwhile, the aptly titled “Ghost Song,” featuring the timeless combination of vocal and acoustic guitar, is chilling with its Jack-In-The-Box guitar wails setting a tone that’s pretty, well, ghostly.

Jump Ship is, however, not without its sweet moments. One would expect “Country Song” to include at least one keystone of the genre; a slide guitar, a fiddle, even a banjo. Something. But this tune evokes something far simpler and dearer with its bouncy tambourine and its urge to “throw every map on the fire / we’ll write a Bible of our very own.” The infectious melody will be stuck in my head for weeks, a welcome replacement for Mumford and Sons’ “Home.”

Though Mutt’s Company’s instrumentation is, at best, traditional, the foundation for the future here is solid. The lyrics betray a loss of innocence, a desire to know oneself, and a youthful hope for what is to come. Judging from Jump Ship, these young Danes have much to be hopeful for.

About the Author

Allison Johnelle Boron

Allison lives in Los Angeles where she is a freelance music journalist, jug band enthusiast, and industry observer. She is also the editor of REBEAT magazine. Find her on Twitter.

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