Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Not everybody wants to get in the ring and spar, not all find the smell of animalistic sweat and the sound of the bell, the swagger of the crowd, and the hype of gloves clashing to their taste, but if that’s the Mission, along with anything else that correctively feels as though you have been smacked with sensible thought then that is the one you must accept, and with sharp instinct and fierce gaze, so Matt Mitchell & The Coldhearts release their own Mission statement on the crowds, those close up and personal, those at the back of the arena; all are given the fight and performance expected of seasoned pros.
Some will tell you, “Them’s the breaks”, but they are fooling nobody, you give out in pleasure what you receive in the form of anger, and anger, cold brutal reality, the rage of a period of time where the world has slept walked into disaster and fierce debate, and only those who see clearly can form an articulate, even vocal response to the ravages of humanity’s own wrath.
What is needed is intent, not to punish, not to harm, but to listen and respond with candour, not harshness or mean-spirited value, and in Matt Mitchell & The Coldhearts’ new album, Mission, that intent is delivered with sincerity and a voice that calls out to the like-minded and fair play fury.
Across tracks such as the biting Razor Tongue, Someone New, Don’t You Think It’s Time, It’s Only Rock And Roll (After All), and Sending Out My Love, the drama of expression is one cultivated by the players, not the reaction, and as each song is handed its own spot, the bob and weave is navigated, the orthodox throw is parried and caught off guard, and the mission becomes one of passionate pugilism, not the brawl that others wish and exude.
It is about refinement, of placing trust in those who are willing to fight for you and expect nothing in return except to be listened to with the same respect as they afforded you, and for that Matt Mitchell & The Coldhearts are fully in their rights to have admiration, detailed high opinion for the operation of music they have performed.
A cracking sophomore album, the onward trajectory is one of pleasure and respect.
Matt Mitchell & The Coldhearts release Mission on July 29th via Earache Distribution. Ian D. Hall