Adelaide heavies Mauvais have revealed their single and video “I Feel Nothing” last week, the first release for the band since 2018. The song was recorded and produced by Scottie Simpson, and mixed and mastered by Lance Prenc.
From its eerie beginnings, buried instrumentation and voice match the “We’re going nowhere fast” sentiment of sinking, but there’s much more than that to come with this track. It’s the guitars that pull my attention most on “I Feel Nothing”. A momentum is sparked by their groove, and full band propulsion joins in, along with hair-raising roars.
Deep downward bends of guitar seem to pull everything down along with them, and a fierceness of pressure is apparent. It makes sense then to hear vocalist Jaycob Page talk about the inspiration of the song; a feeling of being trapped and unable to change the past, while simultaneously feeling unable to rectify the error of his ways.
Despite the “down and out” nature of “I Feel Nothing”, there’s a quality of defense to it too. Bass purrs add to a sense of being a unified front that promises to exact revenge. When the song’s pace climbs, it’s as if this gang has started to run at their intended enemy. There’s also an element of promise to “I Feel Nothing”, with unexpected technical guitar shining through when djent solidness steps backward.
Regardless of if I’ve completely misunderstood the intention, “I Feel Nothing” comes across as both menacing and strong. I continued to enjoy the sense of groove to it, as well as the haunting background instrumentation. If this is where Mauvais are taking their sound, I’m all for it. With more layers combined and things turning darker, a breakdown moment seems like having the last word in this confrontation.
The entire song leaves an aftertaste of “Don’t mess with me” and strength regardless of whether or not they have support. It’s amplified by the dimly lit Tony Ris music video, which you can watch below via YouTube. Connect with Mauvais here: https://linktr.ee/MauvaisBand
[Mauvais photo credit: Steven Cook]
