POSTS TAGGED : Mazes

Mazes – ‘Hayfever Wristband’

mazes 2013

Admittedly when Mazes released Ores & Minerals back in February, it felt a little underwhelming, certainly when compared to it’s all conquering predecessor and Mazes’ debut, A Thousand Heys. Maybe it was just a receptive issue this end and perhaps a reacquainting is called for. 

Whatever the case, Mazes are back with a new 10 track mini album, called Better Ghosts. They’re previewing the release with ‘Hayfever Wristband’; a tight, feverish lo-fi rocker, full of twitchy riffs, sharp, chopping chords, and along with Cooper’s yelps, eventually becomes entirely hypnotic. A truly mesmerizing  three-minutes, hopefully this only the tip of the iceberg of what we can expect from Better Ghosts.

You can give ‘Hayfever Wristband’ the once over below & Better Ghosts is released on November 11th through Fat Cat.

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Mazes – ‘Bodies’

Last year, Mazes released one of 2011’s finest, if somewhat overlooked indie-rock albums. A Thousand Heys was jammed with short, snappy and energetic tracks of brisk tempos and frazzled guitars charging into verse-chorus songwriting.

Back to the here and now, Mazes have announced they’ll be releasing a new album, Ores & Minerals early next year (February 18th 2013). Not ones to leave us hanging, the trio have made the first track from the record, ‘Bodies’, available as a free download. At almost 7 minutes ‘Bodies’ displays a more measured, focused side to the band. It’s a simultaneously repetitive, engaging and gripping track. Although slightly different, there are still shades of late 90′s British indie to their sound (for me, The Charlatans and The Bluetones in particular).

Enough of my yammering, give ‘Bodies’ a listen below. Also one for the diaries, Mazes play The Workman’s Club in Dublin on February 23rd 2013.

Mazes | Punchy Indie from Manchester

Manchester quartet Mazes should have been a commendable entry on here last year. I spent and continue to spend an awful lot of time listening to the Manchester quartet’s debut, A Thousand Heys. 

Mazes share an obvious bloodline with Dinosaur Jr, Pavement, The Strokes and scores of ’90s grunge and US alternative bands. There is an upbeat feel which echoes many late 90’s British bands, The Charlatans and The Bluetones in particular (‘Wait Anyway’ and ‘No Way’ /  ‘Surf And Turf / Maths Tag’ and ‘Centaph’). The Charlatans is less tenuous perhaps due to the similar locale with which both singer Jack Cooper and Tim Burgess are from. A Thousand Heys is jammed with short punchy tracks of brisk tempos and frazzled guitars charging into verse-chorus songwriting with more ooooooooh’s and aaaaaaaaah’s than Paul McGrath.

They have a while to go before reaching this level of, as they say themselves, waving “like the Beatles at JFK”. Beatlemania it may not be but they are a band full of ideas and charm and A Thousand Heys is both imperfect and superb.

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Mazes – Go Betweens via lustforlife

Mazes – Surf And Turf / Maths Tag via Okannie