New Music | The People Assembly | Mojav E. Smith

24/11/19

Words| Aleksandra  Brzezicka

Photography| Greta Kaur-Taylor

Around a year after rising like a phoenix from the ashes of Fivehead, The People Assembly keep on serving us their weird medicine. Cooked up from a psychotropic fusion of ferocious post-punk, disturbingly unpredictable jazz and sci-fi shaman chants.Having released their EP 'How to Bombproof Your Horse'  in 2018 and single 'French' earlier this year, the newest single is out,  'Mojav E. Smith' has just seen daylight.

Mojave is a desert in California. E. Smith could be a homage to The Fall’s frontrunner. Either way, the track is as eclectic and enigmatic as its patch-up title. Being hit by a prolonged church-wave like intro, we’re getting a series of psych-rock bits orbiting around heartbeat-like drum bangs.

The lyrics are composed of a two-stanzas short poem. "(…) makes it very hard to fully grasp the scale of his non-existing loneliness, the hole in his chest, neatly covered up’" is a precise translation of an impression of being pointlessly lost, drifting in the void, that the instrumental leaves you with. The personality split, the sensation of solitude is almost physical. The phrase "burning days," repeated all over again, first in whispers then dramatically shouted amplifies the effect.

The version of reality reflected in the track is so terrifyingly blunt and dried up of any soul nourishments that we find escape even in hell – "As I stare at the devil's gate, I feel the heat radiating on my face/He says come and play.’ 'Mojav E. Smith' is a composition of loops over loops. They somewhat interacting with each other to make a consistent complex that dies out in distortions and dazzling psych-sound.

The People Assembly self-described their noise as post-space and no matter how absurd it may sound, it fits perfectly. They’re an extra-terrestrial bunch on the journey to explore the unknown. This time, the risk paid off. 'Mojav E. Smith' is a gem. A rare find in the black holes of sameness.

The People Assembly’s newest single is out now and available to on all major streaming platforms and band’s social media. 

Soundwaves Zine

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