Mourn

Coming out of Spain, this group can come up with some seriously good tunes. Mourn started out as a duo act by Jazz Rodriguez Bueno and Carla Perez Vas, but it soon grew into a quartet with the inclusion of drummer Antonio Postius and bassist Leia Rodriguez. The really crazy part of all this: these guys are teenagers. Three of Mourn’s members are eighteen years old, apart from their drummer who is fifteen! Their music might is straightforward, right to the point and greatly written, encompassing a powerful mix of The Ramones and PJ Harvey, with a touch of The Pixies and Sonic Youth.

The band itself began its ventures by releasing their songs through their Youtube website, which might have quite a raw sound but you can still get a glimpse into what they are about. Afterwards came a two day studio session with Mourn recording live their self-titled debut album. This of course results in the sound being a bit more raw and rough, but in return you get of course a much more energetic and upbeat album. The duration of the whole album is quite short, about twenty four minutes (including the bonus track), which makes it a “multiple-repeat” listen.

The old-school aggression is an important aspect of the band with moments such as “Misery Factory” really making the difference. The energy of the band is quite unique and they are making the most out of it. “You Don’t Know Me” carries down on similar paths while “Jack” contains a healthy amount of anger to it. And then there are instances where Mourn seem to be going completely nuts, for instance the ending of the bonus track, which is epic. But their most impressive moment in this album is found in “Silver Gold.” Nothing can really contain its impact, and more particularly near the end of the track with all the effects and vibe of the band, it just becomes terrifying.

What is also equally impressive is when the band starts to go towards a more post-punk vibe, getting a bit more emotional in the process. The opening track is one of those moments, remaining quite dreamlike and elusive. This same laidback feel carries on to the next song “Dark Issues,” but what really stands out is when they are able to pull a darker tone for their music. That is what they mostly do in “Silver Gold” (apart from the ending), revealing the true depth that they can actually travel to. Another thing that comes quite as an interesting surprise is the strange vibe that they band can build their songs with. It almost feels as if there is a drunken groove in some instances, in “Philliphius” for example, giving a more unstable state to the music. While in the more mid-tempo “Otitis” they reveal a more hallucinogenic overall vibe, and the strange groove of “Squirrel” is quite hard to categorize.

The vocals are actually quite impressive and accommodate the mood swings of the band quite nicely along the way. The more subtle and emotional performance fits great with instances such as the opening track and “Dark Issues,” in which it even takes on a more anthemic performance when that is needed. On the other hand the more extreme moments require some attitude and Mourn have quite a lot to share it around. The vocals might be sitting a bit lower in “Misery Factory” but their impact is explosive, while the same applies for the likes of “Marshall” and “You Don’t Know Me.” But still the best performance comes in “Silver Gold” with an almost scary theatric performance and the end of the track especially going to another level.

This is a fucking good debut album. Due to their age probably the music is a bit raw, not that this is necessarily a bad thing. Still tracks like "Dark Issues" and "Silver Gold" are just phenomenal moments. As the years pass these guys will be adding additional ideas to their music and improving their playing. This album though is the best start imaginable for Mourn.

7.8 / 10 — Spyros Stasis