Track 1 'Deadbeat' starts off with some talking. I've no idea what about, a rapper or something. It's slightly off-kilter to say the least. Once that's over with the guitar comes in and we're off. This track has that amazing 90's Skate Punk feel to it. The 90's really were the glory days for American Punk and Mug here seem to embrace that so fully it's like being back at Reading in 1997 watching the Warped Tour. Good times indeed. Love this track, it's catchy and one listen gives you that feeling that whilst you've heard it before, you want to hear it again.
Track 2 'Can't Keep Control' and that drum sound makes me think of The Dead Kennedys. It's short lived though as once it gets going this song is much more reminiscent of Bad Religion. I actually prefer this to the first one. It's the sort of tune I'd have played loud enough to kill passers-by when I was younger and more prone to that sort of behaviour. It also has one of those 'easy to shout along to' lines that happens to also be the name of the song and everyone likes those.
Track 3 'Amnesia' - and with a name like that the temptation to do a not being able to remember it joke is almost too much. I won't though... This song has a really sleazy rock and roll feel to it whilst still very much keeping one foot (or maybe even an entire leg) in it's 90's influences.
The closer (or track 4 for those of you that enjoy continuity) is a live cover of Youth Brigade's 'We're In!' - and hats off to whoever recorded this, it sounds great. The guitars are nice and crisp, the drums aren't too heavy and the vocals sit just right and aren't lost the way a live track can often do. It's a blinding cover as well in case you wondered.
It'd be all too easy to dismiss Mug as simply a sum of the bands that have clearly inspired them but to do so would be doing them, and yourself, a huge injustice. There's much more here than a few cobbled together homages to NOFX or 'Smash' era Offspring (You remember... before they were shit?) these songs are polished, well-rounded and instantly likable. The way Punk songs used to be. They ooze fun and sunshine and a beer in the afternoon whilst watching people fall off skateboards. And that's never a bad way to spend a day.
Go grab a copy of this EP from the bands own bandcamp page and experience something you thought you'd lost all over again - maybe even better this around.
