I’m not typically prone to making prophetic statements, but I’m inclined to say that Motherfucker‘s debut EP, Tae Kwon Do, will stand among the best Athens-related releases of 2014 at year’s end. I can think of no other band in town that delivers stoner-rock riffs with this much force and intensity. The recording is appropriately titled; the lion’s share of it is a sonic kick-and-punch-combo right to the listener’s viscera.
“Dot. Dot. Dot.” is far and away the most reverent invocation of Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age-inspired rock to emanate from the South in quite a while. There isn’t much in the way of soloing (or singing—the track is instrumental) to note, but Mandy Branch’s clockwork bassline and Erica Strout’s sharp guitar work are outstanding. Drummer Erika Rickson pounds it out to round it out, making the track worth pausing your reading of this review to give it a listen.
The title track, the EP’s finale, is something of a post-punk version of “Rock Lobster”; the lyrics swirl around a driving riff that absolutely mesmerizes. That analogy doesn’t do the song justice, but if you are at all taken by repetitive rhythms that captivate, it will be an object of infatuation for quite some time.
The only hang-up I have with Motherfucker’s EP is that there isn’t nearly enough of it. Perhaps that’s deliberate; I can’t emphasize enough that there is not a bad track to be found here. If these ladies continue to release material, my recommendation is to be prepared. If you haven’t heard them yet, you’re about to have your ass kicked. 4 out of 5.
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