Psyched-out fuzzy garage stoner rock emerging from the depths of the UK's deep south, Mothman, The Man are an odd-squad collective of sonic sorcerers and aural warlocks trained in the ancient art of rock and/or roll. The band consists of Connor Childs on rhythm guitar and vocals, Charlie Ward on bass, Lewis Gadsby on keys and synth, Billy Mattock on drums and backing vocals, and Finley Kelly on lead guitar.
Hot on the heels of the release of their 2023 debut album 1000 Eyes on Krautpop Records (owned by Paul Greco, former bassist with anarcho pop-punkers Chumbawamba) the band return from the depths of the murky swamps to bring you their forthcoming second LP, Where's Your Head?, on 19th April 2024.
An eclectic outfit that take influence from a wide source of musical material, Mothman mix in the experimental mindset of bands like Mr Bungle, the raw production style of Neutral Milk Hotel and Ty Segall, the neo-psychedelia of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and Thee Oh Sees, as well as the doom and stoner sensibilities of bands like Wand, Electric Wizard and Sleep.
Meeting at Falmouth University in 2019/2020, where the band all studied on the music course—“except our keyboard player Lewis; he studied games like a nerd”—and slowly gravitated towards each other, the quintet were immediately keen to get stuck into their new local scene as soon as COVID restrictions were lifted.
“Once we could finally play live again and put on shows we did just that,” enthuse the band about their hometown. “Putting on shows, playing at the different venues in our small seaside town, observing a small scene grow and grow. We're super proud of everyone and everything the small Falmouth music scene has become and what it's been able to do for us, and I think it's only a matter of time before the bubble pops and Falmouth is recognised as the musical melting pot that it has become. People take notice! Falmouth holds more than meets the eye…”
Rhythm guitarist and vocalist Connor Childs stumbled into his role in the band almost accidentally, embracing a habit of finding what feels good. “I spent a lot of my early life trying lots of different things in the pursuit of finding what my passion was,” he explains. “I actually originally started on drums, and let's just say that I'm glad, for everyone's sake, that I quickly switched instruments once I found out I wasn't that good. I'd describe myself mainly as a bass player as that was the instrument that truly made me fall in love with music, only picking up the guitar and singing in 2019.”
During the writing process for the album Childs was steeped in a world of psychedelic, doom, and stoner influences which shine through on even the most casual listen to the record, trading off a more serious edge against a preference for music that’s both fun to play and also to listen to. “I think maybe that's at the detriment of the pursuit of deep lyricism,” he laughs, “but I've just always had that mentality. Some of the bands/artists that I was listening to, and influenced the album the most, are The Melvins, Ty Segall, black midi, Wand, and Windhand.”
Where’s Your Head? is also threaded with what Childs describes as “pretty goofy, story-led, tracks” that are more inspired by the “silliness of Mr Bungle's self-titled record and some of Zappa's stuff”.
Describing himself as “a bit of a musical control freak”, whilst the band might be partial to a meandering jam live, their songwriting process is much more ordered, with Childs writing everything down first and the band editing it later, as opposed to coming into a room with no ideas and having lots of ideas clash before a song is created. “I think both approaches work, the latter has just never worked as well for me. We're jam-adjacent,” he laughs.
Recorded partly on tour in 2023 while promoting debut album 1000 Eyes, and partly using Falmouth University facilities once the tour was over, the record was produced by drummer Billy Mattock. “It's nice working with Billy since he was the first person I met when coming to Falmouth,” says Childs of the relationship. “It's great to have a producer/engineer that I don't feel scared to recommend any changes to! Our old producer, Billy Tucker, is fantastic too though. Neither is better or worse, I love them both. Logistically, it's good having a talented producer in the band though. It makes the prospect of paying lots of money for mixing and mastering kind of null and void, which is always nice for broke people in their early twenties.”
When it comes to lyrical themes, as Childs has already noted, he tends to shy away from the serious in favour of something a little more tongue-in-cheek. “Ultimately, as selfish as it sounds, the thing that ties the songs together is myself I guess?” he says. “I usually write instrumentals first and lyrics second, and I usually just write whatever comes to my head, so each track is just a window into what is currently running through my head at that given time, and I just kinda hope people enjoy that.”
As such, several of the album’s tracks deal with one of Childs’ biggest interests outside of music: cryptids, mythological creatures, and folklore. Alongside these more light-hearted numbers are a few songs that deal with more broad concepts that are closer to his heart, like unrequited love, a positive approach to death, and the effects of working-class income on a young person. There's also a cinematic pastiche track that tells the story of a rogue cowboy sheriff who kills an alligator and travels far north to fight a cowboy cult member, so there really is something for everybody!
Already working on a follow-up EP that Childs says is “something a little darker and solidly within the realm of doom metal”, the band are planning a full UK tour to promote the new album.
“The live experience is very important for us,” says Childs. “It's a way for us to try out new material that I'm writing and for different members to flesh out parts for upcoming records, as well as putting on the best show possible for anyone who's come to see us. Tone is a very important thing for us and I think that the effort we put into creating the best sound/timbre possible is what sets us apart from some other bands. None of us are the biggest showmen in the world, so having something else to lean back on is always nice.”
“We're just all good friends, and I think that comes across quite clearly and is our greatest strength when we play live,” he finishes. “We're just some pals having a silly old fun time playing our music on stage and I like to hope that the enjoyment we're having infects and engages our audience.”