With the release of their debut full-length effort, Ratworld earlier this year, the Leeds, UK-based quintet Menace Beach, comprised of Ryan Needham, Liza Violet, Matt Spalding, Nestor Matthews and Nick Chantler received international attention for what has been described as channelling grunge/alternative’s heyday.
Over the past few months, the British indie rock quintet have toured with Drenge and The Cribs and have been championed by the legendary Johnny Marr, who has publicly cited Menace Beach as one of his favorite, new bands. And with a buzzing outlet of creativity, the band found time to record several new songs with Hookworms‘ MJ at Suburban Home Studio, which will comprise their forthcoming Super Transporterreum EP slated for an October 2 release through Memphis Industries.
The EP’s title is influenced by a fever dream that Liza Violet had while the band was on tour, and the material on the EP reportedly possesses an off-kilter, hazy, fucked up approach. Interestingly, the EP’s latests single “Ghoul Power” tells a tale about a pocket sized, alien ghoul, who soaks up your darkness and anxieties, and ends up a sweaty pale wreck after Menace Beach take him to too many parties and shows. Ryan Needham explains in press notes that “It isn’t meant to be as cheaply metaphorical as it sounds.”
Sonically, the song sounds as though it was inspired by Pixies, The Breeders and L7 simultaneously as buzzing guitar lines hurtle and lurch about at weird angles and speeds and evokes a fucked up, nauseating haze while a propulsive and steady rhythm keeps the song from completely falling apart. All of this is paired with boy/girl harmonies shouting and singing along lustily — and it makes the song sound as though it would have been played in a sweaty, dingy venue while kids moshed and crowd surfed with limbs akimbo.
