(P)Review: Mt. Wolf

‘Dreamfolk’. This is how London-based quartet Mt. Wolf has decided to be labelled. Pretentious? Perhaps. Meaningless? Almost definitely. One thing’s for sure though, it beats ‘Gritpop’, the self-proclaimed genre of nobody’s favourite indie pretenders, Viva Brother (R.I.P).

                Categorising music with a catchy, summative word or phrase is a pointless task whoever the band, but with Mt. Wolf, it’s also impossible. Though they’ve confessed a dislike for ‘folktronica’, it would certainly go some way to describing the sound of their debut EP, Life Size Ghosts. But that designation would ignore the psychedelic flavouring, the sprinkling of trip-hop, even the dash of wub-wub, that make this a rather appetising introduction to a group who are gradually gathering interest, notably some airplay on XFM.

                The fusion of these fashionable elements makes Mt. Wolf so current you might wonder whether management have one eye on that elusive Pitchfork review. But there’s a convincing sincerity behind these three songs, rooted lyrically in the natural but cloaked in the otherworldly, with production that’s well-polished yet suitably subtle.

                The disappointing absence of ‘Underground’ (a demo of which is available on their SoundCloud), is filled by ‘Starliner’, a seven-minute soundscape that, while beautifully mellow, becomes uninteresting to the unintoxicated mind after a few listens (don’t do drugs, kids). ‘Cry Wolf’ is a smooth-flowing, haunting number, primed for dance remixes. Think Sigur Rós meets Purity Ring. Kate Sproule’s voice, while hardly distinctive from the Ellie Goulding mould, compliments the dreamlike escapism perfectly.

                The stand-out track, and the one which makes Mt. Wolf worth the bother, is ‘Life Size Ghosts’. Eerie and enchanting in equal measure, try telling me your stomach doesn’t drop when you hear the deep bass note at the end of the first line. Suddenly that ‘dreamfolk’ tag seems apt after all.

                Though this is an earphones EP, Mt. Wolf’s live shows are becoming increasingly captivating. An appearance at Camden Proud proved the band has an ethereal stage presence in sync with the music. Don’t expect smashing guitars and long-haired, sweaty men on crack: expect cardigans, closed eyes and a few lager shandies. They’ve also defied the suffocating trendiness of Notting Hill with a set in St. Peter’s Church. How very alternative. Playing an orchestral-backed rendition of ‘Teardrop’ by Massive Attack, clearly an influence, it was hard not to appreciate just how tight a musical unit the four-piece are.

                Mt. Wolf are playing at Corsica Studios on 30^th October for the ‘Life Size Ghosts’ EP launch. Check them out before the hipsters get there. Oh, and take a cardigan.