Mangy Mutt Releases New EP “The Unresolvable Disillusionment of Matthew David Bowman”
The human mind is beautiful in the sense that, the moment the eyes sees something that’s incredible or weird, the brain immediately begins to mumble over it. Then before you realize, you’re already deep into it. This is something that works and this artist did it brilliantly. Newcastle songwriter Mangy Mutt has a new EP out with a title that is quite a mouthful: “Mangy Mutt Productions Presents:The Unresolvable Disillusionment of Matthew David Bowman”. If the name doesn’t give it away, this isn’t exactly the kind of record you put on to get a party started. It feels more like finding a wet, crumpled diary in a gutter and reading the secrets inside.
Mangy Mutt doesn’t try to sound like a polished pop star. He sounds like a guy who has seen some things and decided to be honest about them. Working with producer Gareth Hudson, he’s created something that feels very lived-in. It’s a bit rough around the edges, but that’s clearly the point.
The first track, “Old Familiar Game“, sets the mood. It’s got that feeling of repeating the same mistakes over and over. And this is something that we all experience sometimes. We want to try the same sh!t over and over again till it works, but just maybe you can let it go and try something new and see what happens. How this song starts with this inviting and curious bluesy elements is amazing, it gets you locked in and ready for what’s to come. Then we move into “Not Even Love Stayed“, which is about as cheerful as the title suggests. It’s a raw look at what’s left when things fall apart. And sometimes there’s nothing we can do. It breaks you and makes you realize were all these people faking around me? Like not even those I trusted, it’s there reality hits you hard!
“Leave The Light On” feels like a small plea for hope in the middle of a dark room. When life gets hard, when all plans fail and all the believe you had diminishes, yet you still think you can pull through and make it. So you ask one last time for people to believe in you. Even though you’re drained, even though it’s difficult, but you still believe. It’s followed by “Land Of Make Believe“, which takes a sharp, satirical jab at the stories we tell ourselves to get through the day. Mangy Mutt is great at these little bites of sarcasm; he isn’t just sad, he’s a bit annoyed, too.
Near the end, we get “Count Your Blessings“. In anyone else’s hands, this might be a happy song, but here it feels a lot more complicated—like someone trying to convince themselves they’re okay when they’re clearly not. The EP wraps up with “Cast A Shadow On The Sun“, a title that basically sums up the whole vibe of the project.
There are no easy answers here. The music doesn’t try to fix your problems; it just sits there on the floor with you while you deal with them. It’s sparse, sometimes intense, and always very naked emotionally. The EP “Mangy Mutt Productions Presents: The Unresolvable Disillusionment of Matthew David Bowman” is profoundly honest and doesn’t mind getting its hands dirty, so give this one a listen and feel everything within. Just maybe don’t listen to it if you’re already having a really bad Tuesday.
Enjoy More From Mangy Mutt here;
English