Muck Spreader found a home in the London circuit, performing alongside the likes of Fat White Family, Wolf Alice, Warmduscher and Black Midi; though this is not an indication of their sound, which continues to be forever morphing, unique and uncategorizable. The band’s latest EP Abysmal is their first vinyl release and signals a louder and further departure into sonic experimentation.
The EP follows Rodeo Mistakes, released last year to acclaim from the likes of So Young Magazine, DIY, Dork, Huw Stephens at BBC 6music and Jack Saunders at BBC Radio 1. With Abysmal we find deranged screams and a music rich with filthy bass, sludgy guitar, shrieking saxophone, and glitchy effects. The drums anchor the chaos.
On EP openerTake Flight Muck Spreader offer the following: “Fasten your seatbelts, find your nearest exit, and in the event of an emergency please assume the brace position. It’s going to be a bumpy ride. You are now in the safe hands of Captain Frosty Theodore, and the crew will do everything in their power to Keep it Mucky Take Flight”
The past year has been eventful for Muck Spreader; throughout 2020-2021, they have soundtracked Vivienne Westwood’s catalogues while Muck Spreader frontman, Luke Brennan, featured as one of Westwood’s “SS21 voices”.
With nods to punk and grime, and inspired by everyone from The Dubliners to Ornette Coleman, Muck Spreader talk about social values and social bases through a fully improvised setup. “There is no process to our writing” they say. Liberated from the boundaries of traditional form, Muck Spreader are a collective pushing the confines both sonically and with what it means to be a band.