Math pop...apparently.
Although “Fun with wizard stencils” is a very self-consciously quirky debut EP, Wintermute have some good ideas. The melodies are what stands out the most, they are really solid and memorable, like the poppy chorus on ‘Dead Or Not He Was Wearing Sunglasses’ which is super catchy and sticks with you long afterwards. Even though they wear their influences like banners the tunes are still likeable (At the drive in and Minus the Bear spring to mind at once), this is mainly because the complex riffs are well performed and the energy from the melodies is fresh and bouncy.
On the negative side, vocally the forced wobble can start to irritate quite quickly and it draws too much attention to itself and the jagged, off kilter Minus The Bear-esque guitars are something that’s fast becoming a staple of alt-rock and so, don’t impress as much as they’re probably meant too. There is plenty of potential to be heard though and the basics are already in place, it will be interesting to see what this band come up with next.