Somewhere In The Dark I’m Mumbling

Malachai “Snowflake”

I wonder if anyone can listen to this song without the phantom sensation of smelling smoke or imagining men with big bushy mustaches. Malachai’s music is a skewed kind of retro, sounding just enough like lost records from the ’60s and ’70s while allowing for just enough room for modern touches that their aesthetic scare-quotes are apparent to the listener. This could be tedious if the band didn’t have any real songs, but cuts like “Snowflake” have big, burly déjà vu-inducing hooks that grind their way into your skull just as well as the “real” thing. The vocals are notable for their full commitment and slightly odd resonance: This guy sings most of the song with a macho growl that’s more peevish and perturbed than alpha-male commanding.

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