Mutemath, a New Orleans native electronic rock band, achieved a very “feel-good” sound on the new album.  They always previously leaned a bit more in the dance music direction, but EDM does not quite fit the description this time.  Unfortunately, it isn’t too captivating.  The album was not amazing because all that really sticks is a kind of slow blur of moving sounds.  You’ll hear this happen in the genre pretty often, but where Mutemath does come through is with some legitimate sound experiment.  Instead of releasing 10 drab pop songs that follow a formula, each track unpredictably changes around within itself, never hinting how or if a change is about to come.
Therefore, Mutemath still shows the intent behind their sound.  Things got most interesting with the sudden instances of auto-tune or dubstep.  Still however, the songs all fell into an average thrum and only the most unique couple are worth looking at.  The first track, “Hit Parade” makes for a somewhat disappointing intro.  It has great build up, and truly points to their influence from 70s/80s rock.  Though it is not again until halfway down the album that another significant song appears.  Beginning with “Nuiscance”, the entire album shifts away from rock sound to something moodier.  “Placed on Hold” was one of the best, considering you prefer their easier, smoother sound.  It falls just second to the best on the album, “Everything’s New”, which brings that successful blend of alternative sound and ambient vibe.
The latter half of the album is the more preferable, providing some nice midnight-city music, but there is still only the last track worth mentioning.  “Marching to End” has some pretty impressive ambient gloss that gets pretty moving by the end.  All in all, Mutemath is not a weak band, nor do they fail in their arena of alternative electronic rock.  But “Play Dead” was not spectacular, and I’ll still be listening to their older stuff.
Mr. Soirée