Aussie act Mammal has never been ones to shy away from tenacious themes and their second album, The Penny Drop, out now calls out the wrongs of the world around us while flexing the group’s revitalised direction and eclectic sonic influences.
Pulsing with pure rock’n’roll at its core that title track has just been released as a single, available digitally now here, with a video you can check out here at RAMzine.
From stomping fuzz on its opening track ‘Moscow’, through to sensual swagger on ‘Slings And Arrows’, polished melodics and salient alternative rock on ‘Doubt’, irreverent nu metal-laced rage on ‘Live Bold And Dangerous’ and toe-tappin’ funk/rock fusion on closing track ‘Five Days’, ‘The Penny Drop’ wields a vast palette while also consistently holding up starkly accurate thematic mirrors.
“The main themes on the album are politics,” said vocalist Ezekiel Ox, “Setting up guillotines, smashing the fash, punching up, our inability to tolerate fools. Musically, fresh, mature, sexy bare bones rock and fucking roll. This album is not for the kids. It’s frown up fun. Pete (Williamson) wrote 100 riffs in 30 days, Zane (Rosanoski) turned them into songs with his V-drums and laptop in another month, then I came down from Newcastle and free-styled for 24 hours over two wild days in Melbourne. After that Jimi Maroudas came on board to produce and hone the 17 best tracks, which became the 12 on the album. After plenty of arguments, compromises and massaging by Forrester (Savell) later, we decided we were done.”
Since forming and releasing their debut self-titled EP in 2006, Mammal has toured relentlessly while also crafting a formidable reputation for their animated live performances, timeless sonic creations and authentic, working-class political activism that has garnered the quartet an ever-growing cult-like status across the globe. Mammal’s back catalogue includes their striking singles ‘Smash The Pinata’, ‘The Majority’, ‘Hell Yeah’ and ‘Think’, with their touring history also spanning headline shows in London, Perth, Auckland, Brisbane and elsewhere, as well as supports with some of the heavy scene’s towering giants, including Kiss, Avenged Sevenfold, Sebastian Bach, Cog, Grinspoon, Spiderbait and Shihad.
A band who also walk the walk alongside their musical calls-to-action, Mammal has also previously volunteered their live services, raising much-needed funds for various charities, supporting Interchange, the Refugee Action Collective and Fitzroy Legal Service over the years.
“We feel ready and raring to go,” said Ox about the new album. “We say what we want, how we want and play loud and proud. We believe that at its best, rock and roll is a form of rebellion. Punters know when they come to the show that we give shit, about the music, about them. About their schools and unis, their hospitals and parks, their housing situation. Their favourite bands. We always punch up, and we aren’t pulling the ladder up behind us.”
‘The Penny Drop’ single follows on from April’s release of ‘Agree To Disagree’ and before that ‘Keanu Reeves’, both also available digitally with videos you can view here. To purchase the album and more information click here.
Featuring Pete Williamson (Guitars), Zane Rosanoski (Drums) and Kade Turner (Bass) alongside Ox, Mammal is once again flying a flag for meaningful rock’n’roll.
“We believe that at its best, rock and roll is a form of rebellion. Punters know when they come to the show that we give shit, about the music, about them. About their schools and unis, their hospitals and parks, their housing situation. Their favourite bands. We always punch up, and we aren’t pulling the ladder up behind us,” said Ox.
