The influences and music category sections of a groups Myspace page can be utterly confusing. The next time we find a rock band describing themselves as ‘Healing & Easy Listening’ we swear they will be getting a throttling. Brighton band Masks however are utterly safe from our wrath. With a description of ‘Experimental / Shoegaze / Industrial’ and influences stated as Fuck Buttons, Health and Crystal Castles, Masks are bang on. These instrumental cover up kids are exponents of exactly what they say on the tin, or rather the web page.
The duo that is Masks purvey dramatic, throbbing noise - the sound of pounding 3am blissful armageddon or drug fuelled sci-fi sex perhaps. Whatever it is, Masks do it very well. With their track Forever Dancing (video below) Masks take a guitar loop that displays a remarkable similarity to Elephants by Warpaint and then add layers of fuzzy guitars, keyboard stabs and Viking longboat drums to create a glorious circuit bending orgy of sound. Tribal Fangs (which you can stream and download below) is a brooding, beckoning soundtrack with the possibility of violence bubbling under the surface. We like. A lot.
Masks make the music of our favourite nightmares. If you’re in the UK and going to Truck Festival in July you can catch them there. They also have dates in London and Brighton shortly after that.
Masks Tribal Fangs by MASKS
