ninehertz

Mule Thrower have been a consistent friendly presence, steadily releasing smart little EPs since 2021 and establishing themselves as ninehertz favourites in the process, the band a veteran of three of our podcasts in that time.

What’s really cool is that they’re not only going strong but arguably still getting better, with their new release, 種類 at least as good as they have ever been if not more so. There are four tracks here, with one standout oddity I’ll address first – the third entry Metamorphic, which is 21 minutes long exactly and consists of turbulent aired minimalist ambience, a surprise turn to drone and one that dominates the skyline of the release.

I really like that they have added something different, although admit I am unlikely to listen through it all again. The rest of the EP though will get plenty of repeat plays. There’s experimentally minded fun and nuance in amongst their doom that makes for a fascinating ride. Anthropic’s thick doom and hardcore tone and stylish groove turns to a Nebula-esque stoner garage guitar, separating it further from what you might expect, whilst Sedimentary simmers like a sludge version of Fudge Tunnel as configured within a Today is the Day fever dream.

The opening Igneous may be my favourite, with its bristling doom opening sliding into a noise-rock ethos in its stamping beat that mixes the light and miserable presented by the guitar really well. There’s an anger within that you feel, and subtly different from the norm. It epitomises the best of Mule Thrower, why they’re a band to follow as they happily churn out new records, pushing their own sound for our enjoyment.