Electric Mob – Discharge
Album review by; DeeDee
The Boys from Brazil have arrived; they actually come from Curitiba which is down the coast from São Paulo. Fronted by Renan Zonta, who was a big hit on Brazils version of The Voice, Electric Mob have finally released their debut album ‘Discharge’. Formed back in 2016, they have followed up the 2017 ‘Leave A Scar’ EP with this full length feature. After the first single ‘Devil You Know’ scored highly on the media platforms, gaining over a thousand views in the first 2 weeks, the band have become South America’s newest and hottest product.
Like a Shaman chanting from the depths of the rainforest, the first 33 seconds of ‘Discharge’ is called ‘Awaken’ and the icebreaker certainly makes you sit up and take notice. It runs smoothly into the first proper song ‘Devil You Know’ which kicks off with a Southern hue and a stomping beat. Vocals burst in with spontaneous harmonies and you are introduced to the amazing Renan Zonta, this guy has one hell of a voice. Slide guitar and the continuing crashing beat; make this a memorable and dynamic statement. More twang on the guitar to open up for ‘Kings Ale’, which has ample finger picking and some awesome bass by way of Yuri Elero which is strong throughout. More incredible moments from Zonta, a complex guitar solo and the drumming of André Leister is pretty intense. ‘Got Me Runnin’ hits the brake pedal slightly, it does remind me of Zeppelin and the Cult, with its high pitch and heavy slugging guitar, which are backed by more melodic chords, a decent track though.
The tempo rushes more on ‘Far Off’, it’s a total power rocker. There’s a great riff and solo from Ben Hur, (I will refrain from any puns) and again the vocals are outstanding. ’Your Ghost’ starts with an acoustic guitar and simple chords, gentle like a cool summer breeze, then the lyrics fire up and a sense of a laid back, easy going attitude takes precedence. More than just a ballad, Electric Mob manage to create an atmosphere, with this absolutely stunning song, the guitar begins to whine towards the end and we are taken to a fading crescendo. ‘Gypsy Touch’ is quite different; we enter a groove, post grunge room with what we now call ‘stoner’ rock. The lyrics are nearly spoken in part and then are taken to the highest level. Backed by a rampant riff, this is another that grabs your attention and can easily be put on a loop in your playlist. ‘123 Burn’ continues with the heavy discord and grunge feel. It has such a meaningful tone; the amount of passion from Zonta really hits you.
The ninth track, ’Upside Down’ is a little crazy, it’s certainly an appropriate title. Chaotic scenes before it gets into a glorious rhythm, and then it races uncontrollably downhill, finally hitting the barrier at the bottom with an abrupt end. ‘Higher Than Your Heels’ gets full marks just for the title, a sleazy guitar intro that saunters along the pavement, like a cat that’s had all the cream. Interesting voice parts, that give it an air of decadence and then we enter full on party mode. Pounding drums hail ‘Brand New Rope’ another that is off the wall and slightly uneasy to begin with. It soon gets into its stride though as the melody takes hold, with the underlying strumming and spooky harmonies. ‘We Are Wrong’ is the twelfth and final number; a raunchy beat that increases and gains momentum. It does seem that all the leftover bits were thrown in, as it is a bit of salad bowl of a song. Nevertheless, the piano keys that bring it to a finale are gorgeous.
This has to be the best all-round album I’ve heard in a while, even though a couple of the songs send you off-balance, Electric Mob are so creative you don’t want to miss a single note of ‘Discharge’. Powerful vocals that are so striking and a guitar player who can play perfectly in several different styles, along with the robust rhythm section, makes it a worthwhile and brilliant treat.
5/5
More information about Electric Mob can be found on their social pages;
https://www.facebook.com/electricmob/
Discharge is out now via Frontiers Music
Tracklist:
1. Awaken
2. Devil You Know
3. King’s Ale
4. Got Me Runnin’
5. Far Off
6. Your ghost
7. Gypsy Touch
8. 123 BURN
9. Upside Down
10. Higher Than Your Heels
11. Brand new rope
12. We Are Wrong
Band Members;
Renan Zonta - vocals
Ben Hur - guitar
Yuri Elero - bass
André Leister - drums