Zach Hodges let chaos reign in Nuclear Muskrat and carried out it with a conductor’s cultivated contact and a mad scientist’s curiosity. The 19-year-old Midlands-based musician, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist could also be early in his profession, however by his LP, Child Landmark, he’s already confirmed that style loyalty is an idea finest left up to now.
Hodges, identified for his work as a theatre musical director for String Cheese Theatre, his place behind the package in Midlands jazz trio Head to Head, and his worldwide touring expertise, funnelled each inch of his multidisciplinary pedigree into this 7-minute experimental tour de pressure. Nuclear Muskrat isn’t content material to take a seat nonetheless—inside its frenetic framework, it flexes polka funk motifs, indietronica laced with avant-garde results, funked-up disco grooves, blues-drenched riffs, erratic polyphonic keys, and incendiary synth bursts.
Whereas it might have been straightforward for this to really feel like a pure act of self-indulgence, it’s straightforward to associate with the experience with Hodges as he demonstrates the malleability of sound in a approach so seamless it’s as if all the textures, tones and tempos have at all times been complementary pairings. It’s as if the up to date historical past of music has been condensed within the explorative mind-melter that regularly pulls the rug and lays down a special one earlier than the final footstep can land.
When you’re at all times on the hunt for music that challenges mediocrity, Nuclear Muskrat is the last word contender.
Nuclear Muskrat is now obtainable to stream on all main platforms, together with Spotify.
Evaluate by Amelia Vandergast.
