Mutes make the intangible a reality with debut full band EP

There's something entirely intangible about the sound that Mutes have devised for themselves. Delicate yet resolute, entrancing but still intensified, this five-track release is profoundly mystifying. Losing none of the gentle intricacies that flood the earlier solo releases, the Starvation Age EP takes the group's definitive sound to the next level.

Every nuance is painted with affection and attention, and every lilting note powered with purpose as it spirals, soars, and dives. Vocals echo with a gentle power, a potent subtlety that - subdued though it is - is still commanding of your attention.

Echoing and chiming into an otherworldly vein of existence, "Boyish" ever so steadily climbs skywards, guiding towards the twinkling light that creeps through the tracks softly breezing refrains. Like the suns rays peering through woodland leaves, the song eventually breaks out into the open. Transforming into driving rhythms and squalling guitars, "Boyish" draws the group to new heights right from the start.

Lead album track "Holy Terror" is a template of Mutes' capabilities. Roaring with a vigorous energy, the track manages to pack into a minute and a half what many spend whole releases trying to achieve. The track ignites and burns bright, before smoking away into the far distance as the track evolves into spiralling, glimmering refrains.

"Memory Serves" (first featured on Mutes' last EP No One Is Nowhere) is akin to a kiss from the dawn rise. Vacant, still, and entirely enchanting, the stripped back song carries itself with the perpetual power of sunlight. Instrumental number "Kissing Trees" showcases exactly what Mutes do best - intricate soundscapes out of place and time, capable of transporting you wherever it is your imagination can go.

Title track and EP closer "Starvation Age" is Mutes at their most dynamic. Cacophonous swirling guitars build a raucous tapestry that's bold, brash, and running with a breakneck energy. Searing refrains echo and resound, a whirlpool of riffs and reverb squalling and searing over an edge of danger.

Mutes have grown in more than just their number. More intense, more cohesive, and more spirit-soaring than ever, with Starvation Age the bandwith Starvation Age the band have cemented their identity - and it's going to sweep you off your feet.