by Chris Hatch

Leeds trio, Mush, return with their latest single, Blunt Instruments – a frenzied track that doesn’t just grab the attention, but wrestles it to the ground in a headlock and holds it down for the count.

Guitars call to mind Graham Coxon’s inventive, frenetic playing with mid-era Blur when he decided he wanted to be Stephen Malkmus, while frontman, Dan Hyndman, has the louche, indecipherable style of Parquet Court’s Austin Brown, or a northern Joey Ramone. Blunt Instruments harnesses the same modern punk philosophy as the likes of UK cohorts The Goa Express, Do Nothing, and Shame, but it’s Hyndman’s unique delivery, and the band’s chaotic tempo, that make it stand out in a scene that is close to becoming crowded.

Mush’s second LP is due out in February 2021, and, on this evidence, it will be one to keep an eye on.