Rip It Up

Mutemath: Vitals

Despite what the technicolour dreamcoat-inspired album art would suggest, Vitals, the fourth LP from New Orleans band Mutemath, is anything but vital. For three albums, Mutemath has made a name for themselves with insanely energetic tunes, the kind of songs that would get even the world’s snobbiest curmudgeon up and onto the dancefloor.

Mutemath’s brand of electro-tinged bluesy indie rock was a welcome addition to the alternative landscape back in the mid-2000s. They were so instantly catchy and bombastic Mr. ‘Splosion himself, Michael Bay, pegged them to record a version of the Transformers theme.. As impressive as it is to compose a pop song out of source material that consists of a single line (Transformers, more than meets the eye!), it was jaw dropping to see their backwards performance of their song Typical on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

It is ultimately disappointing to see the band relegated to being a neutered version of themselves on Vitals. Partially to blame is the almost non-existence of drummer Darren King. His work behind the kit has driven virtually all of Mutemath’s back catalogue with his frenetic skin-bashing, but now he is lost in the background. This can be explained by the tone of the album, which is more introspective. Lyrics often make reference to that special someone who got away, and one can’t help but wonder if Vitals is a sort of penance for all of the strange they were (probably) getting while touring as cocky indie-tronica extroverts.

As a whole, Vitals is a perfectly decent album. However, while there are a few barn burners that hint at their older material like Joy Rides and Light Up, the majority of the album is a more sombre affair. Even with all of its shimmery synths and colourful wordplay, Vitals disappoints.

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