‘Mere Slaughter’ is the new single from Mutes and good god, is it loud. With news of a fourth studio album set to be released in 2024, the Birmingham band have nailed how to grab everybody’s attention at once.
Inspired by the need to write something ugly and as a comment on society’s steady decline in a snake-eating-its-tail-kinda way, Mutes bring forth three minutes of pure feral energy. Its intro launches into thunderous drums and dissonant guitars, wasting no time throwing you into the deep end. The pained vocals that grow more anguished as the song goes on sum up the anger that breathes within it. It hits hard, and only continues to hit harder.
If you’re in the mood for getting in the mood to smash things up, this might well be for you. I’ve not heard a collision of noise as brutal and visceral as this in a long time. ‘Mere Slaughter’ is a powerhouse of fuck off, and that’s exciting.