Its rightfully rather difficult to pin down Mancunian trio Mumbles. Garnering a healthy reputation for their chaotic live performances, opening for acts such as Deerhoof and Melt Banana. The band explore various aspects of a range of genres with their music, dipping their toes into emo, noise rock, folk, ambient and free form jazz. Masterfully avoiding being cornered and pinned down by traditional genre conventions, Mumbles are very much their own band with their own style rooted within the indie rock world. Written, recorded and produced painstakingly over the course of four years after front person Jacob Nicholas overcame years of life changing illness; In The Pocket of Big Sad ponders humanity after coming to terms and powering through trauma and agony.
Opening track ‘How Do Happy?’ is a sub two minute emphatic battle cry of coping with the overbearing weight of reality. The varied instrumentation present across the album shines from the opening vocal calls, spreading melodic exploration across shining brass and woodwind, locking into a driving, yet sad, indie rock and post-punk verse and overwhelmingly catchy chorus.
Following up with the frenetic ‘JD Sports’, lurching from chaotic, noisy math-rock noodling to indie punk song structures, showcasing the bonkers variety on display. ‘Poached Egg, Chilli Flakes’ doubles down again, opening with fuzzy saxophone jazz punk riffs that could be pulled straight from Melt Yourself Down, complex bass lines ultimately breaking in uncomfortable ambient passages akin to Xiu Xiu.
“Mumbles balance this white-knuckle chaos by mixing in tracks drawing from a softer new-romantic and folk background”
Mumbles balance this white-knuckle chaos by mixing in tracks drawing from a softer new-romantic and folk background. Album highlight ‘Everything Just Sprawls’ has a deep sense of melancholy permeating the entire song, almost sitting somewhere between Black Country, New Road and Beirut. The indie rock inspired guitar melody takes centre stage, bass and other instruments adding to the emotional weight and returning to the same melody as even the vocals follow; eventually breaking into a massive dreamy chorus with huge singalong potential in a straightforward style.
Six minute track ‘Violence and Stupidity’, another highlight, comes from a similar place. Opening with, sprawling and joyous woodwind melodies juxtaposing the track name, reminiscent of a late spring afternoon before jolting, switching gears and plays a lot with expectations. Rhythmic shifts and experimental in the layered instrumentals, the track is very catchy and poetic. Guest vocalist Porridge adds a lot with her feature and switches up the feeling in the song halfway through, focal point of a section that is incredibly reminiscent of The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die.
The production approach that Mumbles have taken leaves a little to be desired in all honesty. At times it sounds as though you’re listening to the band through your neighbours adjoining wall, a mid-heavy muffled mud suffocating some of the more delicate details and nuances of the bands sound. Its clearly intentional at points and does work when leaning into the noise-heavy side of their sonic experimentation, but more often than not its the vocals that get buried losing some of the weight behind the sprawling poetic lyricism. However there are also moments where the instrumentation shines through, when the bass and guitars are reigned in to an appropriate degree or drop out entirely to let the various vocal harmonies and instrumental exploration shimmer blissfully.
“its hard to deny the awkward and unique charm of Mumbles shining through the literal and metaphorical mud.”
The grand finale of the In The Pocket Of Big Sad comes in the form of the one-two punch of ‘Skejbyparken 2, st.’ and ‘Talking To Plants’. The former is a laser focussed burst of violent, flailing indie punk. Exploring the origin of illness and trauma in barely a minute, the vocals are emotive and distraught, confused, terrified and sad. The latter is a deeply indulgent nineteen minute long contemplation of the rising and falling nature of recovery. It takes its time, at points a little too much so; moving from new romantic hip swaying pastoral indie sadness, introducing noise infused guitar melodies. Eventually it falls back into twangy folk lines and taking an extended break in the middle for ambient jazz exploration, playing with dynamics and textures throughout. The song builds back up again from the ambient passage for an almighty finale, repeating motifs and melodies from earlier in the track and sticking with the final vocal line of “Feeling gentle and glad to be alive, I am scared but glad to be alive” for a cathartic tearjerker.
Whilst in the end ‘Talking To Plants’ is a success, it could’ve done with a little trim in the middle, not needing to lavish within over four minutes of ambient melodic exploration. It didn’t feel entirely necessary, which can also be said of the true closer ‘Stop To Be’, a short and saccharine impression of a song that feels out of place to close the album, a spot better suited to the aforementioned nineteen minute epic’s cathartic closing moments.
Whilst there are some niggling issues with In The Pocket Of Big Sad its hard to deny the awkward and unique charm of Mumbles shining through the literal and metaphorical mud. Emotionally and musically complex, incredibly experimental and explorative, when the band are firing on all cylinders its a joyous and melancholy experience filled with a strong sense of melody.