https://www.facebook.com/events/1639610816319079/

MegaMaul are a relatively new outfit out of Chicago with members who have spent, or are spending, time in Bear Claw, Radiant Republic, and Hungry Man...so naturally I was kind of expecting this to be within the same realm of noise/math-rock that continues to ooze its way out of the city. However, I was delighted to hear some heavy hook driven rock with a touch of that Midwestern riffy flair and, better yet, it's pretty good. I'm not sure if any of the guys in the band are big listeners of Bluetip or Self-Evident, but there is some strong similarities to both in style/sound on Mini-Mall, especially the latter with the odd time changes...however definitely not as on the extreme side of things. For a debut EP, this is a surprising amount of polished and certainly could have fooled me if I had been told these guys had been together for a handful of years. Good way to get the ball rolling, no doubt. MegaMaul - Swan Songs (stream) BUY IT!