Warner Bros. Records, in association with producer Tedd T. and his independent label Teleprompt, now brings the public four fresh new faces in the alternative rock scene: guitarist Greg Hill, Roy Mitchell-Cardenas on bass, drummer Darren King, and Paul Meany on vocals, naming themselves MuteMath.
According to written sources from Warner Bros. publicity, Meany and his collaborative company began their creative pursuits around 2001 between Darren and Meany in New Orleans. Cardenas and Hill joined after that.
Tedd T. and the band’s manager, Kevin Kookogey, brought the band to greater exposure in 2004 with numerous live appearances in New York, Houston, and Seattle. By 2006, word of their talents spread wide, and MuteMath gained fans by the thousands and counting.
The tracks feature a style that resounds with a more empathic human quality, with themes of love, longing, individuality, sadness, and endurance. They choose to reach outside the bounds of most conventional themes associated with alternative rock genre which are too often relied on as a means of edgy appeal, such themes as disturbing acts of violence, mental instability, and dysfunctional relationships, as if depicting some kind of vindictive monster.
Many of the MuteMath’s tracks don’t need fervid instrumentation or frantic vocalization to inspire emotion from the listener. Their appeal is driven on the emotion coming from the song and the voice, rather than vice versa. It’s this very same unique music style which has earned them gigs to perform at such rock festivals as Lollapalooza and the Warped Tour last year.
Tracks such as “Control” and “Chaos” are vibrant and enlivening themes of fidelity, both joyous and enduring. “Typical” is about the young individual striving to break free of a monotonous life, having familiar sounds that are almost comparative to U2’s “Elevation.”
“Stare at the Sun” and “You are Mine” show a mellow and surreal sound, like a heart-breaking mantra. “Break the Same” is an acknowledgement to all those who have ever suffered from uncertainty and distress in life.
MuteMath is a success because they can draw in a fan base by their music’s influence and meaning without making some extroverted attempt to get attention or create some outlandish self-image. Their self titled album makes its debut this season.