Texas garage punks The Mullens are set to take the West Coast by storm with their invigorating blend of garage punk, infused with a unique Texas style. With numerous LP releases under their belt, including cult-adored albums through Get Hip Records, The Mullens have garnered a dedicated following over a span of decades.
THE MULLENS – WEST COAST INVASION 2023
Friday, October 13 at Liquid Zoo with The Unclaimed and The Killing Floors
Saturday, October 14 at Redwood with The Unclaimed and Sonic Blossoms and The Electric Shine
By Nathan Whittle from Louder Than War
Texan garage punk rockers The Mullens return with a blistering new album on Get Hip Recordings.
The Mullens are back! And back in style. On their new album, Get What You Deserve, they romp through ten great tracks of blues-soaked garage-rock ‘n’ roll. It’s no surprise that their signed to the ace Get Hip Recordings, the label set up by The Cynics’ Greg Kostelich. The Mullens’ songs drip in the same garage-revival groove as their bosses. From the opening title track, they flit between fuzzed-soaked riffs and more jangle-induced melodies. Early highlight Heard It From Kandi takes that second road to great effect and signposts much of what’s one show as the band eschew the more proto-punk sound of their debut (released back in 1997) to hit a note somewhere between the Laurel Canyon psych sound and the garage rawness of the Pacific Northwest.
Bad Bad Man and When I Make My Stand are wonderful powerpop-infused blasts, the former sitting astride a rolling bluesy roll, although it’s on When You Cry that they raise the blues ghosts of yore, mining the same pioneers that inspired bands like The Yardbirds back in the 60s. The Mullens continue in the same tradition, immediately making it their own as well.
While they have clearly moved on in their time away from the studio, a time during which they have not stopped performing, songs like Feel So Bad still manage to cast a line back to their proto-punk beginnings with its pounding beat and relentless rhythm.
Over the past decades, Texas has made its mark clear as a hotbed of garage rock and The Mullens are intent on hammering home the point. A great and more-than-welcome return. |
