Mules – Clapping for Carers (2022)
During the height of the pandemic, people across the UK clapped at a set time of day to show their support for NHS staff. While Mules understands the sentiment behind the action, they use it as the centrepiece for their push against the current culture of the world. ‘Clapping for Carers’ is a punchy debut single that tackles the fact that the most rebellious actions we are able to take today are either transactional or symbolic.
This attack on the neoliberal capitalism of the world comes from Tommy Vincent (vocals), Louis May (guitar, backing vocals), Mark Conford (bass) and Sam Luck (drums, percussion). After bursting onto the Brighton music scene with their authentic punk rock sound, they have set themselves apart and really stand out from the crowd. While they seemed to suddenly take the scene by storm, the members have been honing their style in various bands over the years.
‘Clapping for Carers’ brings an interesting mix of alternative rock and post-punk to the soundscape, through the deep thrum of the guitar. The rolling drums pound against your ribcage before a crash of sound on the chorus. You can easily hear the influence of the punk movement on the sound, but there is a very unique edge to the movement. This edge is modern with a splash of something that is purely Mules. Through the music, they push against the pressures of society, while shaking you up to get you really thinking about what they are trying to say. Later in the track, the melody lightens a bit before punching you with the return of the punk edge.
Vincent’s vocals have a spoken word punk movement through the verses as he highlights what people do that are mostly symbolic. This leads you to the chorus that is all shouting aggression and punching out at the world. His performance is really punchy in the way it brings the message of the track to life. Combined with the melody, the push against the current culture of the world hits hard and gets you thinking about the gestures such as clapping for carers that don’t really solve any of the issues they supposedly stand against.
Mules use their debut single ‘Clapping for Carers’ to punch out at the gestures made by people that don’t enact any real change in the world. The music mixed alternative rock and post-punk to pound against your ribcage. The vocals use a mixture of spoken word and shouting to get you thinking about the real message of the track.
Find out more about Mules on their website, Facebook and Spotify.
