The Mustoes are a five piece alternative pop band from Birmingham, UK. This dynamic group, while conventional in lineup, has an electronic quality to their sound and has been compared to the likes of Billie Eilish and The 1975. They have worked closely with top producers at Miloco and the famous Abbey Road Studios in London. They have released a debut single, and are excited to announce the release of yet another single leading up to the release of their EP, “Take A Seat In Solidarity”.
The Mustoes have a recently released single called “Twenty”. The song begins with soft synths and a woman leaving a voicemail thanking someone for last night, but adding “you should do us both a favor and just don’t call me again”. This sets the stage for a song that can at once make you happy and maybe remind you of a saddening romantic situation. The instrumentation combines old and new, with traditional rock instruments combining seamlessly with synths reminiscent of 80s pop music. The vocals too have an old-school quality that could belong to a band like The Smiths or The Cure. The band have absolutely nailed vibes both old and new, and each chorus is an absolute hook that will have you listening to this tune again and again.
Listen to "Twenty" here and get to know the band below!
Thanks for chatting with us! Could you start by explaining how you all met and formed this band?
Joe Powell (vocals) and Ben Growcott (drums) have known each other for numerous years playing in former groups before meeting guitarist Gabe Strain through college. Dave Howarth (bass) was met through the use of social media whilst coincidently studying at the same university as Gabe. With the initial elements of a traditional band in place we then searched for a pianist/synth player to help encourage the electronic sound so desired. Through a mutual friend of Joes we discovered Tom Stephenson bringing the full sound of The Mustoes together.
What is your writing process usually like? How do your songs come together?
We tend not to stick to one particular way of writing however our ideas originate from synth and guitar melodies which we then build around. We’re constantly switching from a full band environment to an electronic setup where the initial structure is built upon. Before heading to arehearsal studio we spend time writing the tracks in Ben’s cottage and Tom’s Hovis bread barn.
Your recent single “Twenty” has a lot going on in terms of production. Was it always a natural thing to combine more traditional sounds of rock with the more modern synth sounds?
As we base our songs around the synth, the electronic sound comes naturally which is complemented by Ben’s hybrid drum setup, combining an acoustic kit with electronic samples. The equipment we use heavily affects our sound which can also be noted through the intentional auto-tune and vocal effects implemented on the track. As well as this we all take a variety of inspiration from grunge bands to highly-produced pop music. Despite ‘Twenty’ having a high production you can identify the more ‘rock’ based elements in theoutro of the track.
What can we expect from The Mustoes in the future?
In the run up to our debut EP “Take A Seat In Solidarity” we will be releasing our second single “My Attention” on 19/04/19. To help promote the EP we have booked in multiple main support shows in which we’ll perform our first headline show on the release date of “Take A Seat In Solidarity”.
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