All Mixed Up.
The oddly named Mum Locked In Castle throw in so many sounds and changes of pace it’s hard to know where to start; the opener ‘Forgotten Prayer’ sounds like Cave In meets Incubus (vocally it’s very Incubus but the tone is more progressive, more quiet era Cave In). Along with the crooning there is a section where the beat takes on a funk touch and then later on they slip in a spot of almost flamenco acoustic guitar. ‘Milk’ feels more straight forward at first; singing mixed with screams and heavy riffs but then there are quieter moments, acoustic picking makes another appearance and the variety is there again. They don’t just do quiet/loud, the slower sections seem to be different every time.
One of the only criticisms of the EP is that the basic melodies of all the tracks seem similar, especially the lead vocal lines, they are pretty much interchangeable between the five tracks. The potential on show here though is impressive; complex rhythms and changes of pace from the drums, often these are jazz or funk based, solid riffs and intricate picking from the guitar and some great funk bass. Also the fact that three of the band members share vocals helps to mix things up, so the lead vocals don’t become too repetitive. This is an interesting EP, technically very mpressive. Mum Locked In Castle have tried to achieve a lot here and have mostly succeeded; they will be worth keeping an eye on.