Derby trio release first single from their forthcoming debut EP “Lunacy”
Hailing from Derby Muddibrooke consists of Harriet McDonnell 'Brooke' (Lead vocals & guitar), Anna Melidone (Bass & backing vocals) and Mary Prince (Drums). Despite all being in their 20’s and having only been together as a band since January 2020 the alternative-rock/grunge trio have over 30 years experience of live performance between them, and have supported artists such as The Beautiful South, Scouting for Girls and Dr and the Medics.
MuddiBrooke have had airtime with Kerrang radio, and been song of the week on BBC Introducing.
Straight Jacket is their third single release after their 2020 releases Turn to Dust and Devil, which we reviewed back in October 2020 and gave a score of 9.0 Looking ahead the band are planning to release their debut EP Lunacy in summer 2021 and are planning a UK, and Germany/Holland tour as well.
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MuddiBrooke have a wide range of influences, including one of my favourite bands of the moment Wolf Alice. Indeed this one certainly has an Alice in Chains vibe to it (for me anyway). Their sound is certainly based in alternative rock / grunge and has a wonderful fuzzy guitar sound running through it, backed up by excellent heavy bass tones (Anna Melidone) and pounding power drumming (Mary Prince).
We reviewed Devil back in October 2020 and you can check out our review here: https://www.livewiremusic.org/home/muddibrookedevilreview18102020. It was raw and very emotional, and I said at the time in that review that for me music is at it’s best when it’s personal, powerful, and with a rough hard edge…..
Well, Straight Jacket certainly delivers more of what we like here at LiveWire ! Brooke describes the new single saying that “Straight Jacket came from the fact that, like a lot of people, us three all suffer from anxiety. For me, the effects from it can be so strong that it can cause me to have ‘derealisation’ or ‘depersonalisation’; this is a certain form of panic attack when it feels as though reality is slipping away and nothing is real. It can be very disorientating. I wanted to capture this feeling within a track, and so Straight Jacket was created. You’d think our anxieties would affect our performance on stage but it often has the opposite effect where we all feel completely comfortable and ‘at home’.”
What I love about MuddiBrooke is how effectively they get over the emotion of the subject they’re covering. Here’s a song about anxiety and it’s significant effect on the sufferer, and fittingly it’s delivered in a real almost manic style. Although the alt-rock feel is still there throughout, this track has a fantastic mix of influences to it for me, it has a heavier more metal feel to it, especially in the chorus sections, and the lyrics have a kind of anarchic, almost punk style to them as well, which suits the subject matter so well…. It’s short, but intense ! The verse sections have a steady fuzzy guitar and pulsing rhythm to them, while the lyrics describe what’s going on giving a real sense of the disorientation the anxiety causes with lines such as “Who are these people, I don’t know where I have come from, And where I might end. People are staring. Thinking the same. Shivering, I’m shaking, I can’t stay tame…. I can’t work out what’s happening to me”. The lyrics are delivered in a kind of staccato style – no long lines, just two/three word phrases, delivered almost like knife stabs. The tone, has an almost heartbeat-like feel to it and this structure really helps to deliver a sense of building tension through the song.
Then the chorus sections burst out at you with a wall of sound as they express the frustration, anger and rage at the symptoms and sense of disorientation….. with loud distorted guitar tones backed by excellent drumming from Mary. The chorus lyrics from Brooke very simply just repeating over and over “All I want is…..My sanity”….. pleading for normality, to just be me….. even for a while.
The lyrics are short, no long lines and this reflects the reality for anxiety sufferers, jumping around almost incoherently, struggling for form, struggling to make sense…. “I’m wrong, I’m right, I can’t agree, With myself tonight”. The title Straight Jacket is very apt for describing the situation “I can’t agree, With myself tonight….. I can’t work out what’s happening to me”. You get a real feel for the sense of desperation and loss of control.
I’ll say it now, this is probably a Marmite kind of song, you know ? You either love it or hate it, and there’s not a lot in between. For me, writing this ? I just love it….. Like the previous single Devil MuddiBrooke have an ability to take a personal and difficult subject and own it musically. Different people will feel differently, but for me, I love the construction of this one, and the way the style and structure involve you in the song. It’s not one of those “this ones all about my struggle with anxiety…..” kinda songs, which just depend on the lyrics to tell a story. Here the shape of the tone, the pulse and rhythm of the track draw you in, and create a sense of anxiety, and of frustration and anger.
And the thing is….. it does it so well too.
The upcoming EP is entitle Lunacy….. if the other four tracks are as good as this, I can’t wait to review it. Straight Jacket gets a 9.5 from LiveWire Music.
The new single Straight Jacket is out on 30th April 2020 across all music platforms with pre-ordering available from now. The debut EP will be out in August 2021 and will have five tracks including this one.
If you’d like to catch MuddiBrooke live, they’ll be performing (Covid restrictions permitting) on 23rd July 2020 at The Musician Pub in Leicester. Support is provided by the fantastic Siobhan Mazzei. Check out their website / Facebook for ticket information.
If you’d like to find out more about MuddiBrooke, you can find them online here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MuddiBrookeMusic/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MuddiBrooke
Website: www.muddibrooke.com
