Cowboy-psychedelia. This is apparently a real genre, and we reckon new Cardiff four-piece Mantis need to lay claim to it, as their astoundingly brilliant debut single ‘Magnolia’ perfectly fuses the unlikely sounds of Western and psych-rock, rendering any other way of explaining it inadequate. We reckon there’s a hint of blues-garage in there too. A heady mix, all told.
Latin guitar flourishes are bolstered with out-there poetic lyrics from the off, with the lines “Silver moonbeams from your eyes, well I found that they only came from the sky” delivered in a husky garage rock bark, but then the magnificent weirdness makes way for a chorus built around traditionally pleasing pop harmony, veering bang off again to some intergalactic cosmos of echoey solos and dreamy rhythms.
Mantis formed in 2022 and have been making severe waves in Cardiff and the Welsh music scene ever. ‘Magnolia’ is their first single and an expertly accomplished one at that. It was released on all streaming platforms on 4th May and you can take a listen on Spotify below: