Tagged as desert rock, Red Mountain delivers, perfectly combining grunge and grit with ethereal soul and alien abduction. Listening to their debut EP, Earthbound, it feels as if you are listening to a new-age western soundtrack, a perfect quasi-intro song for a novice desert listener such as myself. It reminds one of a wonky, distorted, depressed baby of Them Crooked Vultures, King Gizzard, Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Queens of the Stone Age, simultaneously hype and low-fi, a song played on the radio when getting your third nose piercing or balancing on the slack line in the isolated commune.
Listening to the song gives one a sense of their own mental wellbeing, although this newfound understanding does not necessarily lean toward the positive. I felt on the brink of rebellion, ready for a young adult dystopia akin to the golden age of the hunger games. It certainly has the ability to elicit emotions, but what these emotions may be, and how beneficial they are to one’s current state, is still up for debate.
A distorted, radio-like voice undercuts the majority of the song, mixing with the heavy bass to musically articulate the lyrical “You’ll never find love with an earthbound man.” How could I find love with an earthbound man when such transcendental voices fill my ears?
The rest of the EP follows Earthbound’s grittiness, but with significantly less bizarreness. Road Warrior provides a strong beat and Mosquito Hunter a more classic alt rock sound, and while both still incorporate an almost smoky, definitely gritty voice, neither matches the EP’s namesake. Both definitely do, however, scratch the itch for those looking for new music to play on a joyride or while drinking a cold beer. Give them a listen, for if the EP is indicative of the rest of Red Mountain’s work, there is greatness to come.
-Cogitating Punker
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