Today’s date has been well and truly etched in my diary ever since The Mystery Lights announced it as the release date for their second album. Out today on Daptone’s rock subsidiary, Wick Records, Too Much Tension finds the group digging deeper into their well of eclectic influences, enriching their sound without echoing the past.
This second offering finds the band in a place where experimentation flows freely and in a recent interview they have described how their debut was about “finding their feet and getting to know each other’s style”. Now, firmly established and with over four years spent together honing their combined grooves, this new material comes from a place where the band have completely “clicked”.
Expanding their psychedelic garage rock sound to incorporate some synth-driven, post-punk elements and varied lyrical themes, the album addresses inner self-turmoil and the current state of world affairs: “It’s a combination of a lot of things. There’s some personal stuff like battling your own demons and the tension that comes with that. Also, when we wrote some of the record, it was back in 2017 when tensions were high with North Korea. So, that kind of global tension — everyone was on edge. This for some reason really resonated with us and we felt it, so it made sense”
With absolutely no shortage of fine tunes to choose from (a dilemma I had anticipated would occur), today’s song choice was a challenge; Too Much Tension is start-to-finish bliss. I love the transition between the rasping high-energy grippers, to the slinky smooth ear-huggers like today’s song. Fuelled by garage rock, guided by punk and driven by a psychedelic kaleidoscopic vision, The Mystery Lights have once again excelled in delivering what is most definitely an exquisite collection of eye-opening, tear-jerking, tush-shaking, mind-altering and mentally-grounding melodic treasures!
Hard to pick a favourite, Goin’ Down went down rather well with its rather slinky vibe, rich velvety bass line and nicely extended intro which keeps you guessing the first time you hear it…not to mention how it seamlessly flows into the next track, Wish That She’d Come Back…and this one is a cracker too…well, they all are!!! Check it out above and grab a copy of the album from here.
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