ARTIST: MIAGII
ALBUM NAME: ‘You’re Freaking Out Right Now!’
RELEASE DATE: August 2016
COUNTRY: South Africa
CITY: Johannesburg
GENRE: Grunge
MEMBERS:
Vox/guitar – Marc de la Querra
Drums – Josh Roscoe
Guitar – Gerard ‘Chuck’ Becker
Bass – Hanro Havenga
Press play and let the skanking begin!
MIAGII‘s opening song, ‘Nothing At All’ takes me straight back to the good old days of Jello Biafra and The Dead Kennedy’s. Let’s jump up and down people! Long live old school!
Imagine the legends of punk, mixed with the fresh sound of Billy Talent, and the vocal repertoire of The King of Darkenss, Ozzy. Crazy, right? It’s a beautifully aggressive mess.
The tone slows down with ‘Stay Calm’ which is more along the lines of The Killers meets Panic at The Disco, with a side serving of Lost Prophets. Which makes for an interesting second tasting of MAGII and displays their directional diversity.
Each song has it’s own unique, and well executed composition. Personally I love it when an album has a mix of all the styles MIAGII encompasses. It keeps the album interesting, and your mind wondering.
The production of this album is really well mastered. Timing, levels, all on point, with that raw-finish you expect from the grunge sound.
Musically, this is a feel good album and you find yourself bobbing your head and tapping your toes subconsciously. This is definitely a road trip album; upbeat, funky, and the driver won’t fall asleep, that’s for sure!
Lyrically, my personal highlight is the opening line of ‘Bullet’ which says ‘You and I are getting by, on hope and weed alone’. The song goes on to describe a somewhat destructive relationship, and whether you have been in that kind of situation or not, it is so well written that it is incredibly easy to relate to.
Well done MAGII, you guys have produced a kick-ass album! These guys are just scratching the surface of their careers, and are definitely one’s to keep an eye on!
Favourite Tracks: Nothing At All, Bullet, Bored
In addition to the new record, MIAGII have been working on a passion project called Dethweed.
‘Dethweed is a DIY ‘zine that will to go along with the hard copy disk. The A5 mini publication showcases talented artists and their work, interviews with rad and interesting people in the industry, as well as written contributions from various special guests. Dethweed’s purpose is to promote and build the growing scene, by giving exposure to local talent. Dethweed zine download: http://dethweed.com/ (Please note, the formatting is best viewed in printed form’.
MIAGII
Reviewed by: Caid ‘Splice’ Pontus (more from Caid)
Date: 14 September 2016
Follow MIAGII on:
