ALBUM REVIEW: Blacktop Mojo – Blacktop Mojo
Self-titled albums are a daunting thing for a band. Putting your name to something like this comes with the assumption will be quintessential of the band. Feeling they’ve now found their sound, Texan BLACKTOP MOJO release their self-titled effort this Friday.
Known for pulling from many influences, BLACKTOP MOJO have now found equilibrium. Following from 2020’s Static EP, the band’s fourth full-length has something for everyone.
“Make me a god like you” Matt James begs in recent single Wicked Woman. Inspired by the feminine wiles, the groove in this song is intoxicating. Capturing our hearts from the first blast beat, Wicked Woman leads us on a merry dance to the ritual site. Salacious bass licks from Matt Curtis bleed us dry as this temptress dances in our life force. Dual guitars from Ryan Kiefer and Chuck Wepfer fuels this already powerful witch.
Enchantment doesn’t come only from the supernatural, but it does take a much darker turn. With its ominous intro, Bed Tundy stalks us from the shadows. A dial up throwback sends us through a nostalgic loop. Guitars ensnare us as this fictional play on serial killed Ted Bundy traps us. What pushes Bed Tundy above the rest is the construct James builds in his vocal delivery. The quickening cadence as we “look in the mirror with crystal clear lucidity” sells the replayability factor. This clever construct feeds into the natural need to understand a polarising figure.
Away from the murderous pool of humanity, this album delves into an emotional dichotomy. The Spanish flare mixing with Wild West twangs of acoustic guitar in Make Believe question what it is to be “eaten alive by these desires”. Power ballad-inspired Darlin I Won’t Tell feeds from the melodrama of a band like WHITESNAKE. Huge reverb drums from Nathan Gillis plant the seed for sweeping guitars which hope to win over a wronged lover.
Pulling us into the shadows blues vibes seep through Jealousy. “I’m drinking poison hoping that they’ll choke” oozes envy. Wallowing in wavy guitars, the poison James drinks infects is by association. This dwelling in low melodies rears its head again in Cough. Confronting mortality, chugging guitars drag us to our end. Cough is uncomfortable in its winding tones and bass fuzz. Though another heady blend of grunge and metal, it’s one which leaves a lump stuck in our throat.
“Beg the darkness let me breathe” declares Stratus Melancholia. By far the heaviest song in the catalogue, the winding riff crawls up our spine and hooks into our brain. Filtered vocals encourage us to listen intently. In doing so, the weight of the introspection pulls us into a vortex. Anxiety drives the breakdown, circling the drain with murderous bass.
As with all dichotomies, this album isn’t all shade no light. Rewind finds its influence from BON JOVI and BLACKSTONE CHERRY. The retrospective take on a love turned sour lends itself to trickling guitars and echoing drums. Country ballad Hold Me Down gives itself over to emotional rawness in the form of smokey vocal harmonies.
No matter the mood, BLACKTOP MOJO has something for everyone in their arsenal. Entrusting themselves to less is more serves this band well as their moving parts blend together like a smooth whiskey. For those of the disposition blues-seated rock has had its day, this album comes highly recommended.
Rating: 9/10
Blacktop Mojo is set for release on August 13th via self-release.
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