After spending the last few months building and developing their sound, Brighton-based outfit Mules have now returned to deliver their anthemic new single 'Clapping For Carers'.
Bringing the same bold and vivid post-punk sound as acts like Yard Act and Fontaines DC, 'Clapping For Carers' makes for a brilliantly engaging listen. With its raw and driven direction, pulsing rhythm, and catchy hooks throughout, these guys already look set for big things in the months to come.
So with the new single available now, we sat down with them to find out more about their origins and what has inspired them most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
Sam: Drums.
Mark: The bass guitar. I could see through the window in the music room at my school. I never got to play it though!
Louis: Guitar. Probably from watching my brother noodle away on his.
Tommy: The harmonica, when I was like ten, I wanted to be Sonny Boy Williamson.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
Tommy: My dad played a lot of jazz and blues so as a kid I was into Nina Simone, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, then a bit later I became obsessed with punk, bands like Rancid, NOFX, Green Day, The Clash and Crass.
Mark: I was a proper indie kid when I was younger - Oasis, Blur… Longpigs, all that stuff...and the American bands like Weezer and Nirvana too. The first music I can remember is probably The Beatles or Otis Redding.
Sam: Motown, 80’s, math-rock.
Louis: As a little kid Beatles, the Bangles and soul. Teens was all indie and a bit of dance stuff then swiftly moved on once Britpop took over and I got into punk and post-punk and the bands inspired by that in the early 2000s like the Strokes, Cribs, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol, Twilight Sad. Loads.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Mark: I think the first album I bought on tape was In Utero.
Tommy: It was an Oasis album on tape. I'm not proud of this answer. Oasis' music is a steaming pile of trash for the most part, but I was a kid...
Louis: Michael Jackson Thriller.
Sam: Punk o Rama compilation.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Sam: We Built This City.
Tommy: Love like Anthrax by Gang of Four. It's so incredibly well crafted, it's almost anti-songwriting, I love it. Louis: New Rose by the Damned springs to mind. For me still one of the greatest rock n roll/punk singles of all time. The production, the riff, the performance the attitude…chefs kiss.
Mark: Can You Get To That? By Funkadelic.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
Mark: No, I rarely even bother warming up.
Sam: Jams.
Tommy: Coffee, weed, and extended periods of solitude.
Louis: I pick up a guitar most days to just play around but if I’m wanting to write new stuff, then I purposely don’t play for a few days and almost let my mind store up ideas and have a need to want to create. Either inspiration will come or the panic that I haven’t done anything in ages will take hold.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Tommy: Sweeping Promises, Steve Reich, Omega Tribe, Fela Kuti, Nils Frahm, Zounds, The Raincoats (particularly Odyshape), Fugazi, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Wu Tang, The Slits, Terry Riley (Cologne concert w/ Don Cherry, Au Pairs, Mission of Burma, Burial, Ornette Coleman, Neneh Cherry, Trash Kit, Big Joanie, Mulatu Astatke, William Basinski, Melt Yourself Down.
Mark: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Ryley Walker, Wipers, Sleaford Mods, Nirvana, The Beatles, Janes Addiction, The Stooges, Khruangbin, Dry Cleaning.
Sam: Turnsile, Courtney Barnett & Parcels.
Louis: Recently it's been Sweeping Promises (thanks Tommy), Geese, Idles, Bambara, Wipers, Unwound, Goat Girl. Also been revisiting the Velvet Underground after watching the recent Todd Haynes documentary.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Mark: Mike Watt.
Louis: Iggy Pop.
Sam: Phil Collins.
Tommy: The Ex because they're my heroes and they're the best live band in the world.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
Mark: I'm still waiting to find out.
Sam: Creating music with others.
Tommy: Making a personal connection with yr listeners. Nothing beats it. Those little connections between isolated alienated individuals make everything I do as a musician feel worthwhile.
Louis: Writing a song that you rate and taking through to a finished recorded work that you are totally satisfied with and holds up over time. There are so many things that can make it loose its magic or energy along the way so when you do nail it, its the best.
And what is the most frustrating part?
Tommy: Probably the non-music related admin that comes with it. Sometimes writing can be frustrating too but it's always worth it when you finish a song.
Mark: Carrying all my luggage.
Sam: Getting to gigs.
Louis: Trying to get people’s attention in the world of too much information and content.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Tommy: Everything about the DIY punk ethos, discovering punk gave me the confidence to express myself. That famous Sniffin Glue image of chord diagrams. Don't wait for someone to give you permission to be a musician, just fucking do it.
Louis: Stick to your convictions. I’ve had so many people over the years telling me what they think I should do, how to do it and what I’m doing wrong. But I’ve come to the conclusion that ignoring that and sticking to your vision is the only way. Again going back to the punk DIY ethos. You don’t need other people to tell you how your music should sound.
Sam: Enjoy it!
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Mules' new single 'Clapping For Carers' is available to stream now. Check out the new video for it in the player below.