On the complete opposite end of the spectrum of buzzy Irish rock groups from their recent tourmates Fontaines D.C. lies Just Mustard, a collective of musicians whose slow-building atmospheric soundscapes on their new album Heart Under create a sense of rising tension that never quite comes to a head like those of fellow countrymen Gilla Band—let alone the post-punky catharsis of Fontaines. The group’s latest single “Seed,” meanwhile, wallows in the same sorts of noisy, feral guitar work HEALTH was experimenting in at the dawn of their career as vocalist Katie Ball belts out enigmatic lyrics shrouded by the squealing din.
In fact, the word “atmospheric” comes up several times in the writeups the band submitted along with the playlist they crafted as a listing of musical reference points consulted throughout the writing of Heart Under. With a track list that reflects the diversity of influences clearly ingrained in their unique sound—ranging from Boards of Canada and Aphex Twin to Death Grips to the compositional works of Luc Ferari and Mica Levi—the evident throughline is each artist’s MO of vibe over melody.
With the new album dropping tomorrow, all five members helped throw together a collection of songs that inspired them during the writing of Heart Under—stream that and read their commentary below, and pre-order the record here.
Squarepusher, “I Wish You Could Talk”
Katie Ball: I really liked how for a song with no lyrics this song made me feel very strong emotions. I wanted the instrumental parts of the songs on the album to be able to do this too, matching the emotion in the lyrics but not needing them to convey any of it.
Luc Ferari, “Didascalies”
David Noonan: I first heard this track in the score for the film The Favourite and it really stuck with me. The simplicity of the piece, the use of silence—along with the feeling of conversation between the notes playing off each other—is something that influenced me when writing instrumentation for Heart Under.
Mica Levi, “Love”
Mete Kaylon: I was trying to explore new sounds for the record and I was listening to composers like Mica Levi at the time. This is one of my favorites from them. It was around then I started to experiment with the bow, and one of the sketches I wrote eventually turned into “23.”
Balam Acab, “Big Boy”
Rob Clarke: This is one of my favorite tunes ever. I heard it years ago at a house party and it's been an inspiration ever since. I love every element of the track. The bass line and the strange atmospheric textures, the airy vocals and slow trudging drums. It's very relaxing, but intense at the same time
Bowery Electric, “Beat”
DN: I love the looping rhythm section and textures found in this track. It was an early reference point for me for how powerful repetition can be.
Boards of Canada, “Happy Cycling”
Shane “Mags” Mcguire: Within the band we reference Boards of Canada a lot (particularly their first album) when thinking about both the production approach and the songwriting when it comes to the instrumentation. “Happy Cycling” is a great example of how to draw a sense of space out of minimal instrumentation to hypnotic effect.
Andy Stott, “Violence”
DN: The space and atmosphere created in this track perfectly encapsulates a mood I really try to create within our music. The placement of the vocals and bass in the mix also were a strong influence on our arrangements and mixing choices.
Death Grips, “Get Got”
RC: I was listening to this a lot during the writing of the album. It's very raw and visceral, but with an attention to detail in the sound choice and mix that's so interesting and inspiring. I love how it has that quiet/loud dynamic that I adore in bands like the Pixies.
Aphex Twin, “#3”
DN: This track is one of my favorite pieces of music in the world. The extended chords washing over each other were a constant reference point and inspiration on my guitar playing around the time of writing Heart Under.
Blawan, “Talatone”
SM: I’m a big fan of techno, and Blawan is probably my favorite modern artist in the genre. How the kick drum is often the weighty center point in his tracks definitely inspired how I approached arranging and playing kick drum patterns in songs such as “Seed” and “In Shade”—playing as if your right foot is weighted, leading to almost marching-like rhythms.
