Words by Dein Moore @deingerous1
New Zealand-based The Phoenix Foundation return with their latest and sixth album, dubbed ‘Give Up Your Dreams’ (ahhh, pessimism, my old friend), on August 8. Their latest single from the aforementioned album is ‘Mountain’. So prepare yourself for the eargasm you’re about to receive, it's gonna get messy.
Straight from the start, ‘Mountain’ grabs your ears with a sweet guitar riff and a conga-like afro-kraut drumbeat followed by a sweet piano synth sound that complements the other instruments. It all builds to the introduction of silky vocals that you can’t help but enjoy and singalong to once you get the hook. I found myself swaying along to this tune, which has a somewhat Eighties sound with a bit of modern flair, and thoroughly enjoyed the fantastic mixing on the track as each instrument and vocal line occupied its own space without intruding on any of the others (“compliments to the chef” on this track, well done).
Although the ending could have been more solid, maybe even longer as I personally wanted more, overall ‘Mountain’ is a very lovely, brooding track that I’ve now placed in my personal playlist for the current week.
Give Up Your Dreams is out on 7 August on Memphis Industries