Album Review: Tubelord - Tezcatlipōca EP

When Tubelord announced their new EP revolved around Aztec mythology, and the story of three characters that use obsidian mirror necklaces to travel through space to recapture time, you had the right to step back and look slightly bemused while you tried to pronounce ‘tehs-cah-tlee-poh’-cah’. But luckily, no matter how farfetched the scopes of their ideas are for this EP they have remained grounded, if you were afraid of pretentious 13 minute prog odyssey’s then relax, the longest track is just over 3 minutes. And sitting at around the 9 minute mark 'Tezcatlipōca' is incredibly short but quite wonderful.

Opening track ‘Arbour’ begins so delicately with Joseph Prendergasts soft vocals, which throughout the EP are as interesting and erratic as the music itself. But the track soon builds and in true Tubelord fashion it ebbs and sways before breaking into an array of great harmonies as the full band now kicks in, the addition of two new members is clearly noticeable, when everything comes together the sound feels so broad and satisfyingly complete.

‘Ratchet’ holds a heavy dose of electronics which have been crafted well, not to disjoint the track which can be the case within some bands, instead it feels a natural development of their sound, which chops and changes at every second. ‘Bazel’ brings with it huge post rock riffs that explode onto the track. It’s everywhere at once, you never know where you are but within this mayhem great vocals and the rhythm section keep a stronghold on this track, never loosening its hold.

‘Tezcatlipōca’ is a short glimpse at the musical direction that Tubelord are heading in, each track is an exploration of their sound. Bewildering, chaotic but expertly crafted, this eccentric Kingston quartet are one of the most interesting and exciting bands you will hear this year. I dare to think what they have planned next, just make sure you’re around to hear it.

4.5/5

'Tezcatlipōca' by Tubelord is available now through Hassle Records.

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Connor O'Brien