Constant Mongrel

Much like their debut (an album sorely found too late here at RSTB) Constant Mongrel brings a buzzing bit of tension and a cloud of negativity to the proceedings but manages to do so in a way that's welcome like a sedative kick to the head at the end of a long day. A cleaner affair than its predecessor, Heavy Breathing pulls at the tails of post-punk heroes and shaves their sound to bone, laying down a convincing bounce and more often pummel over the course of eight songs that reach their conclusion far too quickly, leading to plenty of repeat play. The band make no mistakes about where they lie and how they want to be perceived, the sound is a steady bone crush, but each of the songs feels like its own spiral of negative creeping towards the drain. Not to make it all seem like the razors are on the wrists, its a celebration of negativity and in that it becomes much more than a mere whine about subjects varied, instead it grits its teeth in the muck and filth and ends up with heads raised high. Its nihilism swinging in all directions and more often than not hitting its targets square on the jaw.

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