In the mutable realm of alternative music, where vibrancy clashes with cacophony and melodies flirt with dissonance, bands like Mums, rooted in the gritty landscape of Northwest England, show that longevity isn’t just about persistence—it’s about evolution.
The narrative of Mums began in the crowded hallways of high school, where Jack and Roanne Evans found mutual resonance in the tumultuous sounds of alternative rock and its heavier, wilder cousins. This was not just any serendipitous meeting, for it was the birthplace of an aural venture first christened ‘Aeroplane Flies High‘. However, like many bands, identities morphed, sounds matured, and from the cocoon emerged Mums—stronger, sharper, and infinitely more cacophonous.
With their sound pushed its own boundaries, Mums drive deeper into the realm of identifiable riffs and catchy vocal lines, while ensuring the feedback always threatened to shatter the speakers.
Their 2016 album “Land Of Giants” was nothing short of audacity encapsulated in vinyl. It teetered on the edge of auditory anarchy, yet never quite lost its balance.
Touring the shores of the UK and beyond, Mums continued their quest for sonic perfection, establishing an insatiable audience that thrived on decibel-driven debauchery.
However, as with all tales, this one too had its ebb. The departure of drummer O’Neill threw the Evans duo into existential contemplation: forge ahead with Mums, or let the curtain fall? A heavy silence loomed.
But silences, especially in the world of rock, are often precursors to roaring comebacks.
The band’s hiatus was met with a silver lining in the form of Jonny Dickin, their best friend, whose entry not only breathed new life into the band but also sowed the seeds for ‘Legs‘.
With their newest offering, “Legs“, Mums doesn’t just make a statement of return; they craft a sonic tapestry that spans their entire journey. From songs echoing their nascent days to fresher compositions borne out of Jonny’s inclusion, the album is a reflection of growth. And to add a touch of the serendipitous, during its recording, the Mums family was poised to welcome a new member, with a baby Mum marking their presence in utero.
Intending to parallel the fervour of “Land Of Giants“, yet infuse more refined songwriting and an immersive auditory experience, Mums ensured every note, every riff, every beat resonated just as they envisioned.
With an imminent release through Hex Records in the U.S. and Society Of Losers Records across Europe, “Legs” stands ready to storm the alternative scene. It’s a testament to the indomitable spirit of rock.
Here is the track-by-track breakdown from guitarist/vocalist Jack Evans:
Any Old Iron
A direct, heavy and fun song! This song is named after the scrap metal people that would drive around our neighbourhoods in the UK, usually with a megaphone shouting ‘Any Old Iron’ hoping for some scrap metal! It’s fitting as the opener of the album as it was the first song we played together in this newly rejuvenated version of Mums. It came together very quickly.
Straight Legs
Straight Legs was another one that came together during our first practices. It’s got a heavy, doomy riff that eventually opens up to a knuckle dragging, sludgy, expansive ending. It’s one of the more straight forward “heavy” tracks on the album and one of our favourites to play. Lyrically it is about staying on the straight and narrow in light of tough times for mental health. It’s also the first of the two “Legs” tracks.
Who Said?
Big riffs and more sludgyness with a no holds barred riff ending! The song is about the struggle of perfectionism. I (Jack) struggled a lot when recording even this track because despite the main line of the song being ‘Who said things should be so perfect?’, it is so hard to let go of ‘mistakes’… when they are what can make things unique and special! There were hurdles to overcome when bringing Mums back and some of those were present in the studio, so I guess this track is quite meta!
100 Kilos
Safe to say 100 Kilos has become a fan favourite at gigs. It has these heavy, stompy verses that give way to a more expansive, infectious chorus that yells the track forward towards its “math rock” middle section. Of course, it’s not really math rock, but it’s as close as this album gets as guitars and drums stab through syncopated rhythms. This is probably the most fun to play of all the songs on the album.
Control
Total riff-world song which we wrote back when we were about 16! When Jonny joined Mums and the conversation came up of whether we play any old songs or just start a clean slate, this was the first song he called out. It was the first song he heard by the band many, many years ago and so it felt like a bit of a full circle moment to include it on an album that finally brought us together. I (Jack) am very proud of the blowing-up guitar sounds on the middle section!
47 Flights of Stairs
Direct and heavy – this is probably one of the most intense tracks on the album, with quite a groovy chorus. A real silly hook of ‘47 flights of stairs for me’ which is a reference to an old Mums practise room in which we climbed many stairs to have to rehearse… at the time it was like torture because we weren’t enjoying music… but now it’s a just a daft line in a song; turning it into something fun! It also features a crazy ending which I (Jack) can’t help but lose it to!
I Can’t Complain
A bit of a Smashing Pumpkins-esque ballad, drawing back to our earliest influences of 90s alternative, layered with plenty of Mums low-end volume. It sort of lazily drawls through Slint-esque verses before exploding into an ear-worm infested chorus. Always a favourite live! Jonny’s (Drums) Dad said it sounded like a brief power cut when the quiet gaps happen!
Bent Legs
Bent Legs is one of the more intricate and refined songs on the album as it wriggles it’s way around shifting riffs. The ending is super fun; we refer to it as the Pink Panther section. At least, for a little while, until it develops into a more ferocious last lap. The title is a reference to Jonny’s weirdly bendy legs and is also the second of the two “Legs” references on the album.
Bottle of Water
This song is about our (at the time) unborn son Hugh. Roanne was heavily pregnant through the recording of the album which is why Hughie is credited on the album! It felt incredibly special to not only be committing these songs to recordings, but knowing that Hugh was there too. No matter what Mums do next, Legs will always hold a special place because of that. An epic track with some droning riffs and MORE very quiet gaps! As if we haven’t done enough of them already, this song ends with barrows full of intensity. P.s., Hughie loves noisy guitars like a good boy.
Dressed as Girl
A fun and bouncy track that references something that we have all grown to love – Drag. Specifically, a shared love of Ru Paul’s Drag Race. When Jonny joined, we told him he could only be in the band if he watched it. He was reluctant at first, but now him and his partner Charlotte watch it religiously. We have had many discussions about what our drag names would be… But that is a story for another day. Dressed as Girl (or Drag, as we refer to it) has closed out the majority of sets we’ve played as the revitalised Mums, so it felt only fitting that it should conclude our first record together.
