MP3 Chainsaw

“MP3 Chainsaw can be described as unique, surreal and genre-bending - but what they cannot be is pigeonholed” - Bristol 24/7

“While at times there are clear influences from UK garage and hyperpop, it’s the moments where they make nods to the likes of XTC and Blur that stand out and really add some extra dynamism to this promising group” - Wax Music

“With a soundscape moving like a roller-coaster and sharp almost-spoken vocals” - Music For The Misfits

Bristol art rock five-piece MP3 Chainsaw have returned with their second single, ‘Interview Gold’; a track that undulates between jagged riffs, menacing basslines and bombastic drums.

Having impressed and gained support from the likes of Crack Magazine, Amazing Radio and Pitchfork founder Ryan Schreiber with the debut track ‘Clydecore’ earlier this year, the group have returned with a studio recording of one of the more ferocious cuts from their live set - something that has also earned the band early acclaim.

Still presenting themselves as a band of vigilantes fighting their crusade against ‘bland music and fuckboys at clubs’, the elusive troupe have so far demonstrated a knack for piecing together elements of dance-punk, shoegaze and UK garage to create their unique sound. This melting pot of influences is further bolstered by their past involvements in far-reaching projects and labels such as Jesuits, Empty Pools, Illegal Data and Soz Lad.

On ‘Interview Gold’, the band delve into further genre diversions where new wave and Britpop appear to converge on verses that sound akin to the likes of Bauhaus and Suede, with a chorus that the band themselves say was inspired by an unabashed love for nu-metal. While on paper it makes for a confounding mixture, the band straddle these disparate sounds with relative ease and are constantly able to bring surprises.

Lyrical themes of fire and devastation run through the track in a way that seem to support the band’s mission of destroying the evils that stand before them, but their playful nature continues to be an ever-present feature of their output despite the occasional brutality on show in ‘Interview Gold’.

For this track, MP3 Chainsaw once again worked alongside Alfie Tyson-Brown [Urkt] on recording and mixing, Dylan Mallett [Silver Waves] on mastering and Harry Wright [Mun Sing] on artwork, all of whom appear to share a strong understanding of the group’s vision and aesthetic and bring the most out of their limitless creativity. 

The band have recently shared stages with a diverse range of other acts, playing with the likes of LICE, Max Fulcrum & The Win and BUFFEE, and performing their largest show to date at Simple Things Festival at the iconic Lantern Hall in Bristol Beacon.

MP3 Chainsaw’s mysterious aliases are: Auntie Climax (vocals, sampler), BigCapyDamaNRG (bass, vocals), Johnny Email (drums, beats), cutmesum.flac (keys, electronics, vocals) and Arty Pops (guitar, keys, vocals)

Interview Gold begins as a twinkly synth-pop track before flipping the script entirely with a chorus reminiscent of early 2000s nu-metal. The lyrical themes of fire and devastation are reinforced by explosive drums, a malicious bassline and shrieking guitars and electronics.