Marmozets’ attempts to bring math-rock to the masses is what’s made them so appealing. Their complex, time signature-hopping riffs and rebellious, catchy lyrics help the Yorkshire quintet stand out as a band who refuse to be pigeonholed.
Four years after ‘The Weird And Wonderful Marmozets’, they’re back with ‘Knowing What You Know Now’. They’re still genre-twisting, but their focus has shifted slightly from complexity to short, punchy riffs that recall some of the bands that producer Gil Norton has worked with previously: Pixies, Foo Fighters, The Distillers.
Opener ‘Play’ throws back to riot grrrl’s glory days as singer Becca Macintyre shrieks over a driving beat, summing up her intentions perfectly: “I don’t dance ’cos I want to / I dance ’cos I need to”.
Becca’s frenzied squeak on ‘Major System Error’, an impressive slice of sped-up garage punk with added trumpets, gives way to a sugary drawl on ‘Insomnia’, while ‘Lost In Translation’ sees the band capturing the cynical jollity of The Dandy Warhols.
Much of the surprisingly retro sound undoubtedly comes from Norton’s production techniques, but at no point does ‘Knowing…’ sound dated. In fact, it marks Marmozets out as a band who aren’t afraid to play with their sound. “Run with the rhythm,” sings Becca on the closing track of the same name. And that’s exactly what they do.
