By now I’m sure you’ve heard the new EP by London post-hardcore quartet Bloody Mammals. Following the likes of Blakfish and We Talk Daggers, with subtle hints at seminal stalwarts like Reuben, Fugazi and Hot Snakes, Bloody Mammals are refreshingly reinstating mathy drum-patterns and scattered riffs back into a scene which has long since changed suit.
“This record was a lot of fun to make”, says guitarist and vocalist Rennie when we asked him about the experience. “We recorded it over about four days in a tiny little studio in Loughborough Junction.” The result of this process is an EP of concise expertise. Fittingly produced by Jamie Field – the man behind recent work by Bloody Mammals contemporaries Tall Ships and Tangled Hair – ‘Eventually Your House Will Burn Down’ is crisp and intense.
The name of the record is taken directly from the title of the cover art, created by band member Rob Shuttz. In fact, the covert art infiltrated the whole personality of the record. Although only loosely a concept album, the theme surrounds a cursed neighbourhood. Rennie again: “We wrote lyrics around that, piecing bits of stories and notes from scraps of paper together”.
Opening with a horrifying scream, ‘This Neighbourhood Is Cursed’ immediately pushes the loose concept to the forefront. Generating the right atmosphere was vital – Rennie recorded “five different screams for the beginning at different pitches and varying degrees of insanity to order to achieve the ‘Slipknot effect”.
‘Eventually Your House Will Burn Down’ also sees Bloody Mammals experiment with new techniques – indicative of the invention crammed into four days of recording. “Rob (Shuttz) did his first ever ‘shouty’ backing vocals on this track too”, Rennie continues. “He found it difficult to muster the aggression until he started pretending that he was an old man telling off some young whippersnappers.”
They clearly enjoyed themselves and it comes through in the sound. While the album is ostensibly about an ominously cursed neighbourhood, there’s also a playfulness to it.
These themes range from the fittingly absurd to the seriously alarming. The title track tells the story of “a resident from the neighbourhood who attempts to reset the street to a time before the rot of society set in. He uses blueprints he deciphered from the stars to create a time machine”, Rennie explains. “Unfortunately for him, it doesn’t work and he ends up becoming stuck in an eternal loop of destruction and creation.”
These moments of social commentary give some indication to the band’s driving force. That said, packing a punch during live performances still takes priority: “It’s physically impossible to play the big middle riff without losing our shit.”
The efficient recording process is mirrored in the writing of the steadier and eerier ‘Tie Team Down’. “This song was conceived pretty much entirely in my head as I walked to university one day”, Rennie confesses. “I had to record it acapella on my phone to make sure I remembered it!”
Centred around a prisoner on death row facing his final moments, Bloody Mammals thrive off the transition into a live environment. “My favourite bit is the desert rock end-section. I get lost in miles of straight Nevada roads and convertible Cadillac’s whenever we play it live.”
Singled out by many as the standout track from the EP, ‘Madam’ is arguably the most intense two and a half minutes on the record. Elevated by the emotional breakdown and haunting dual vocals, Rennie admits the reality: “The lyrics are kind of silly, and sound like they’re really personal but they’re not at all. I have no parental issues whatsoever.”
Regardless, it still proves a personal highlight in their live performances. “’Madam’ is really fun to play live, although we’ve only recently put it into our live set. The song itself is a sort of musical palindrome. After Ben’s (Lubin, guitar) sweet twiddly, tappy section in the middle, the sections from the beginning repeat in opposite order.”
The accompanying video for the track is another example of their tongue-in-cheek attitude, depicting various individuals reacting to the song. “Dan (Hankinson, drums) slaved over [the video] for hours, sifting through hours of inane ‘reaction’ videos on YouTube made by lonely people from across the world,” Rennie laughs.
At just a minute and a half, the penultimate track ‘Timber’ is led entirely by the baseline – largely in part due to Rob Shuttz’s involvement in its creation. “This song was our bassist Rob’s hideous creation”, Rennie jokes. “It’s probably the twistiest, structurally interesting song on the record, which is why it’s so short but feels so frantic and wild.”
‘Timber’ emphasizes the band’s willingness to experiment with a song’s foundation. The mathy signatures take the forefront more than any other track. Placed alongside the previous foreboding track, it demonstrates the diverse nature of the band.
Closing the EP with the epic ‘Long Song’, is a chance to show off their theatrical side. “Right at the end of the mixing process, [Jamie Field] asked us what we wanted it to sound like and we just said: ‘Make it sound mental’. He went away for a few days and came back with the bit-crushed freak out you hear for the last 45 seconds.”
Closing the EP in true Bloody Mammals style, it demonstrates their determination to avoid complacency. ‘Eventually Your House Will Burn Down’ is a playful concept album – not to be taken too seriously, but demanding attention. Just stay safe when listening to it… “Dan’s back exploded a few weeks after recording the drums for this record. Coincidence? I think not.”
Find Bloody Mammals on Facebook.