US band MOD FICTION was formed in 2011, and released their debut album “Come Back Down” the following year. They describe their music as “…Fuzzed-out, Garage-Rock Psychedelia drenched in Improv Acid-Jazz jams with “Beatlesque” pop sensabalities…”, and the most recent of their productions exploring this particular territory is the 4 track EP “Hoax”, which was released through Holly Wax Records in 2014.
Now I don’t know all that much about music in general or the multitude of genre tabs applied to music these days in particular, but if I had to make a summary of this particular EP the word depressive would be a key word no matter what the overall context would be. This is dark, brooding material, a fitting soundtrack for a dystopian scenario.
The lead vocals are sleepy, detached and subtly out of tune, in a naive manner that brings the late Kurt Cobain to mind. They are applied to a rather varied threesome of compositions here, the opening track Quit Stalling a twisted, demented take on the good, old garage rock with at least some tendencies that makes it tempting to namedrop The Cramps, at least in terms of mood and atmosphere, although I’ll quickly point out that The Cramps is a band rather upbeat and positive in sound when compared to Mod Fiction. The liberal use of psychedelic guitar solo details amidst the bass driven foundation and gloomy, dark guitar riffs that come and go creates quite the ominous mood on this piece.
Losing Interest is a song with more of a Beatles vibe to it really, with a spirited and upbeat foundation given a run through a filter of massive depression that is. Dampened, grinding riffs hover beneath the gentler dominating guitars on this one, and then hits a psychedelic garage rock vibe that gives me a slight association to obscure Aussie band The Lime Spiders. There’s a strong Beatles feeling here first and foremost, but explored in a twisted, slightly demented manner liberally flavored with psychedelic details.
The 6 minute plus Silence in Stereo continues this journey into the realms of psychedelic dark disorientation, with a careful bass driven verse alternating with a staccato riff barrage, the latter then expanded into an elongated, dark and compact foundation for psychedelic guitar soloing. Twice.
Concluding this EP is an atmospheric creation, with a nervous keyboard texture and a dark toned piano crafting a brooding vibe, with sampled voices placed on top, concluding with a sequence of manic laughter.
I don’t know where to place this band in the genre landscape of today, but psychedelic rock and garage rock both merits a mention. As far as a key audience is concerned, I’d say that those who enjoy bands like The Cramps, but generally find their music to be a tad too positive and too uplifting should be a key audience for the exploits of Mod Fiction. And that those prone to bouts of depression probably should shy away from this one.
My rating: 80/100
