Mush

British guitar quartet Mush channel the quirkier fringes of post-punk revivalism through their sharp, absurdist, guitar-driven indie rock, which first surfaced with the 2017 single "Comment Section Creeps" and the extensively playlisted ten-minute piece "Alternative Facts." They soon locked into a pattern of propulsive rhythms underpinning forceful guitar lines, where melodic momentum meets soloing that veers into playful dissonance beneath cartoonish vocals. After their politically charged debut LP 3D Routine in 2020, they issued the comparably pointed Lines Redacted in 2021, then shifted toward steadier tempos and less jagged guitar textures on 2022's Down Tools, opting for a more direct approach that still accommodated occasional six-string excursions.

Assembled in Leeds, the original lineup of Dan Hyndman (vocals/guitar), Steve Tyson (guitar), Nick Grant (bass), and Phil Porter (drums) bonded over a shared affinity for alternative acts including the Fall, Pavement, Sonic Youth, Captain Beefheart, and the Velvet Underground. They issued their first recording, the self-released EP Ex-Communique, in 2016, and their eclectic, socially and politically charged material found a home at Art Is Hard, which put out the 2017 single "Comment Section Creeps." The follow-up track "Alternative Facts" from 2018 received substantial airplay from BBC 6Music presenters Marc Riley and Steve Lamacq despite its near-ten-minute duration, while "Gig Economy" also received exposure. Festival appearances across the U.K. ensued, leading to a self-headlined tour by year's end.

After inking a deal with Memphis Industries, the group released the EP Induction Party in May 2019. They tracked their debut album at Greenmount Studio in Leeds with Lee Childs and Jamie Lockhart, drawing again from the political climate to deliver 3D Routine in early 2020. Pandemic restrictions halted touring, prompting Hyndman to write additional songs; the band recorded and issued the EPs Yellow Sticker Hour and Great Artisanal Formats later that year. Their second album, Lines Redacted, followed on Memphis Industries in February 2021. Once more produced with Childs, it examined the aftermath of British politics through ramshackle art rock and Hyndman's incisive, sardonic lyrics.

Although critics responded favorably, Lines Redacted emerged under somber circumstances after guitarist Steve Tyson died in December 2020, shortly following the arrival of the album's first single, "Blunt Instrumentals." With live performances still uncertain, the remaining members rehearsed and composed as a trio. They returned to Greenmount Studio alongside Childs and Lockhart for a third album, adopting a more spontaneous method that allowed Hyndman to generate lyrics and guitar solos during tracking. Down Tools appeared in January 2022, at which point Myles Kirk joined on guitar and the band resumed touring.