New Music: MUTE TV – Broken Drum

Bath trio MUTE TV build on the feral and fierce sound of their Drag Me Down debut with unsparing potential showstopper Broken Drum.

Like their first single, Broken Drum was recorded ‘as live’ which plays a role in how dark, raw, and expressive each element of the song becomes within seconds. You can maybe hear in that combination of vocals and lyrics that the works of Joy Division, She Wants Revenge, and The Psychedelic Furs play a role in directing the song and us to an uneven emotional terrain.

It’s hard to process that it’s the work of a trio – Tim James on lead vocals and bass, Joe Mountain on guitar and vocals, and Ade Poole on drums and vocals – and drives a story that is so starkly exposed, as track builds to become anthemic and full of pain.

Maybe it’s a work of catharsis and healing or just a call to arms to the mosh pit, but either way, Broken Drum is one heck of a tune. If you’re a fan of bands like IST IST, The Slow Readers Club, and ACTORS – bands that make songs that are punchy and personal – any time spent listening to MUTE TV will be a wise investment.

Speaking about the track, the band said, “[Broken Drum] is about how we have a lot of relationships in life. Some are more important than others, but none of them are easy. We recorded the track with Chris Ellul from The Heavy at their studio, wanting to capture it as close as possible to how it feels when we play it live. There’s a certain energy that comes from the three of us playing together at the same time that we didn’t want to lose.”

Broken Drum is out now via Medical Grade Music. It’s available in CD and digital formats on Bandcamp and is streaming on Spotify and SoundCloud. For the latest band news and other listening options for their music, be sure to follow MUTE TV on Facebook or Instagram.