Hung Up, the latest abrasive anthem from The Mysterines, is a throttling reminder of Brit rock’s firm stock.
Rumour has it there’s a new name from Liverpool turning heads and making headlines. That name is The Mysterines, a post-grunge 4-piece currently reviving the undeniable rock credibility of the nation.
Today, the band announced their forthcoming debut album, Reeling, dropping March 11th next year. Til then, we’ve got singles In My Head and Hung Up to head-bop to. We’re here to discuss the latter, which shot through our speakers today in a heated, unapologetic fashion.
The single opens up with some chugging power chords, thick and relentless, with a thrashing rhythm section to boot. Immediately, the clean yet dirty production of Catherine Marks (Wolf Alice, PJ Harvey) is paying for itself. You can hear all the instruments clearly, but the gritty, rough tones remain intact.
After all, there’s nothing worse than a rock band getting mixed into an over-polished shell of their original sound.
“Why is this bedroom so cold, I can’t face silence alone”, Lia begins, her ice-cold timbre keeping the melody firmly on the 4/4 beat, drilling its pulse right into the brain. “Hung Up is pretty explanatory”, she comments, regarding the revengeful nature of the track.
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Then, the chorus doubles the pace, pelting a melody of pure yearning, gasping for more, before returning to a bass/drum verse. The loud and soft dynamic is a tried and true method, inspired by grunge greats like The Pixies. There’s also some Tom Waits craze peeping through, with some Patti Smith poetry moments for additional stir.
Before the second chorus, the powerful frontwoman belts out a brutal, “cuz I’d like to watch you die here!” From that point, it’s a no-holds-barred affair, instrumentally and lyrically. The drums lay on the fills, the backing vocals pierce through, and the electric riffage doesn’t stop to breathe.
Hung Up is an exhaustive, epic listen that has us pining for the full length. Ever since guitarist Callum handed Lia a warm beer on her 18th, The Mysterines have dished out anthem after anthem, with enough angst to fill a bottle of railroad gin – twice.
Reeling is out March 4th, 2022. Pre-order the album on vinyl here, and listen to Hung Up below.
