The KC Showcase: Rachel Mallin and the Wild Type, "Degenerate Matters"

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Rachel Mallin and The Wild Type-Degenerate Matters

I've covered this band a few times on this blog already so introductions shouldn't really take to much but for those who haven't heard Rachel Mallin and the Wild type are a 5 piece Indie rock act consisting of bassist Justin Walker, lead vocalist/guitar player/songwriter Rachel Mallin, drummer/back-up vocalist Austin Edmisten, keyboardist Jesse Bartmess, and lead guitarist Matt Kosinski and just recently after months of hard work and a successful Kickstarter they have finished recording their debut EP Degenerate Matters and if you're like me and have spent the past few months seeing these songs form you got to believe the anticipation is FUCKING REAL!

If I were to try and put a description to this bands sound I'd probably say it's like a very melody focused brand of indie rock that is equal parts 60's danceable-jangly-rock along jams with some 90's fuzz thrown in to keep things interesting with a variety of lyrics that are sweet, a little tongue and cheek, and every bit as real as the people performing them.

Degenerate Matters starts out with one fucking doozy of a track White Girls which has a kind of a doo-wop and surf rock sound to it that's filled with plenty of hand claps and tempo changes to keep the listener interested and wanting to groove along to it's very summery tone and Rachel Mallins almost hypnotic vocal delivery that is so damn chilling that you will find yourself almost distracted you from it's rather snide lyrics.

Starting with the almost venomous, “there's a special place in Hell for girls like you, who go out on weekends and prey upon weak men who have a girl,” to it's constant uttering of, “I can't compete with these filthy white girls,” that I'll personally change to FUCKING white girls which is going a bit off track but that's just me, as well as the constant repetition of the phrase, “God Save the White Girls,” give it a very kind of fuck you vibe that's almost like a statement about society as much as it is a means of acting as a perfect counterbalance to it's dreamy instrumentals before the track decides to just build up to a final minute where Rachel just delivers one intensely satisfying final verse that she just fucking belts out in such a way that will leave you screaming along as you find yourself blasting it out of your radio and it's especially potent when done live.

It's also quite satisfying that this song is actually starting to  breaking on radio in the Kansas City area even if it's courting some awkward controversy that is neither here nor there when talking about one breakthrough of a single.

Afterwards we're treated to the very shoe-gaze 90's sounding feedback heavy tune and the records hype track with Dropout a track that came out late last year and is still as awesome as the first time I remember hearing it in their Kickstarter promo video.

It's an almost autobiographical track about leaving college to go do more fulfilling things with yourself and the way's people seem to react to such a decision. This song is just filled with plenty of parts to clap along to, some super fuzzy guitar tones, various tempo changes to make you think twice about when to keep clapping along, and plenty of strongly delivered verses that all around really do highlight what is just a damn great track through and through, and it's a track that often serves as the closer to their live shows.

Whenever I'm listening to this track it sounds a lot like it needs to be used as the background music for the opening shot of the best god damn low budget independent movie you've ever seen.

So after a bad ass kind of surf rock track and an equally awesome fuzzy almost shoe-gaze indie track what could we possibly have next? Well Cash 4 Gold is a track that I can only really describe as probably the most adorably cheery thing I think I've heard in a while. For real it has an almost sing along the campfire feel with Mallin and Edmisten sharing vocal duties very well along a variety of whistles and toy pianos that give it an almost feel good vibe that's sure to make you smile more then you intended on.

From all that we reach the end of the EP with the track Dance Card which is by far the most ambitious track on this whole album. A very dreamy little poppy number that shows constant changes in tone that at one second are dreamy as fuck and the next feel kind of like you spiraled down a rabbit hole of awesome this song in my opinion has THE best guitar and bass work on this whole EP has to offer with everyone kind of firing on all cannons this song just effortlessly covers the biggest spectrum of sounds.

In a way what you have is a track that's kind of the best showcasing of a formula that they seem to have of songs slowing down and speeding up  while also never getting too complaisant or predictable to a degree that you come to expect after a while when listening to this little collection of songs but even with that in mind this one still kind of does that the best out of all the songs on here and the little section about how, “I smoke too much (you smoke too much), I drink to much (you drink too much),” and her punchy delivery of the line, “To punch my dance Card,” give the multiple stanzas this song takes a bit more of an effective feeling .

This song is also a bit of a juggernaut when played live because of all those moving parts that make up the song it really shows just how fucking talented each member of this group really is because every single time they play it they knock it out of the park and it's easy to see why they choose it to end what's maybe one of if not THE BEST extended play or even album to come out this year beyond just the Kansas City scene.

I have to say that what's really crazy is as good as this collection of songs is there's still plenty more tracks that didn't make the cut that they play around at their shows that are just fucking phenomenal and will leave you begging for the future full length release because these guy's are on a roll right now and the great songs are just pouring out left and right but until the day comes that they can put out an album proper this EP can help at least make that wait not too terribly long.

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To quote the cinematic masterpiece that is Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny, “I FUCKING LOVE THIS BAND, THEY ARE THE BEST BAND EVER PERIOD.” ladies and gentelmen Kansas City's finest Rachel Mallin and the Wildtype with a collection of songs so good that it's a god damn crime that you don't have it in your possession at this very moment you definitely need to do yourself a favor and go pick yourself up a copy as soon as you physically can like at their upcoming EP release party tomorrow at the new Record Bar here in Kansas City Missouri with special guest Pink Royal and Spirit is the Spirit or if you live to far you can also download it over at their official website which I'll link below but either way you NEED TO BUY THIS ALBUM it's fucking great and well deserving of a good listen or half a dozen million squared times two.

Social Media:

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http://www.rachelmallinandthewildtype.com/

Tour Dates:

August 26 The Social Room Columbia, MO

September 7 The Riot Room Kansas City, MO

Sam Suggest a band: Vigil and Thieves

SO first off I'd like to say that these guy's are honestly some of the nicest fucking people I've had the pleasure of getting to talk to in quite some time.

When it comes to their music there's a very mesmerizing quality to them that's incredibly hard for me to put my finger on because at the surface you have some very well written and performed tracks that range from this very delightfully punky Vicious Ears, the kind of gothy Haunting, and a very bad ass bass driven post punk number Hate that when performed in a live environment end up taking on a life of their own and showcase what really is a talented group of performers that craft some REALLY damn catchy tunes.

Their current release Neverland is quite a bad ass little offering which you can download on their bandcamp and give a listen to down below although just because you can get it for free doesn't mean that it wouldn't be worth your time to throw down some hard earned cash for the download or at the very least wait for the physical pressings to come so you can appreciate the bad ass album art a little more.

I'd also like to make note that their lead singer Sarah Storm has a very hypnotic fashion to how she sings that kind of lures you in and doesn't quite feel the need to explain why you'll think she's so fucking alluring but leave you knowing that you're hooked by a voice that's an odd combination of both confidence and vulnerability.

Also I'd have to say that their song Vicious Ears is my personal favorite of theirs because it's very fast paced song that has a very bouncy punky tone to it that I just fucking love and lyrically it's a little more playful then the rest of Neverland but still maintains something interesting to bite into and maybe it's simplistic nature is why they seem to enjoy using it as an opening track to their set list.

So yeah this band kicks ass and I'm glad I decided to take the time to go see them live because they're pretty fucking cool people and we can all use that in this world of ours. 

Song of the Day 7/7/16

Coastless-The Way

So I saw this band open for MOBS at their EP release party and I remember hearing quite a few good tracks at that show and figured I'd go check out some of their stuff and among the small selection of tracks available to listen to on their Soundcloud this one has been on repeat for me quite a bit.

The Way it's a very New Wave sounding tune that's reminiscent of a group like CHRVCHES with it's kind of 80's synth heavy sound and minimal guitar work here and there to remind you that you're listening to something more substantial than you're average pop song you have a steady little number that get's things moving.

The vocals exibit quite a bit of really good harmony and both members of this little group seem to bounce off one another quite well and showcase quite a good chemistry. This is a band who's visibly in the early stages of getting a sound to call their own but this song's a really good sign of things to come and if they do get to releasing their EP here soon I'll definitely make the time to give it a listen.