A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “Mantra” b/w “Surfers On Acid” 7” single by Trabants. It’s impressive how engaging Trabants prove they’re capable of being on their “Mantra” single, particularly given that the first which tends to hook listeners is the thing that is noticeably absent from the band’s construct: a singer. Usually, a band’s singer is the first thing that engages listeners and brings them into the music but, without that, Trabants finds a way to weave a spell which can only be called inimitable. It’s surprising how quickly the band does it too; using just two songs that clock in at just less than six minutes, Trabants casts their spell and charms listeners, and will have them agonizing over the possibilities that future releases from the band might bring.
After needle catches groove on the 7” single’s A-side, “Mantra” earnestly works their magic in an easy manner that no one could possibly expect – before they experience it for themselves. A very arid and drone-y guitar part coupled with a methodical beat and tempo will get listeners nodding along with the song sympathetically, but swooping and reversed guitar dive-bombs really seal in the “acid rock” flavor and lock it down for the band before the song closes. Clocking in at just two minutes and forty-seven seconds, listeners will concede that their collective appetite has been whetted by “Mantra” but, with no lyrics and with the song being so short, no one who hears “Mantra” will be able to claim that the song was so substantial that they walked away satiated, so they’ll be rushing to flip the record over in hopes of finding something greater on the B-.
Happily, the B-side of the single surpasses its counterpart and will leave listeners feeling better than “Mantra” did. Dense reverb adorns the opening guitar licks of “Surfers On Acid,” and will instantly cause lovers of surf rock to feel looser and more comfortable as the song plays. Images of Dick Dale and Billy Zoom will both manifest and intertwine in listeners’ collective mind’s eye as the song’s rhythm builds and a very nasal electric guitar appears on top of it; playing any way it can – forward and backward – to make an unforgettable impression before recognizing that its time is up and sliding easily out to a close. Listeners may feel like they’ve been shorted when they realize that “Surfers On Acid” only clocks in at about five seconds longer than “Mantra” but, before long, they’ll realize that the sensation is due mostly to the fact that they’ve really been well won by the cut and, while that realization still doesn’t really salve the situation, their hunger for more music will have been well-honed and those who run front-to-back with this single will be anxious to find more music by Trabants as soon as possible. [Bill Adams]
Artist:
http://www.trabantsmusic.com/
https://trabants.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/trabantsmusic
Record:
The “Mantra” b/w “Surfers On Acid” 7” single is out now. Buy it here, on Trabants’ bandcamp page.
