Finding a steady middle ground between The Black Keys and QOTSA, Mt Hammer’s charmingly gritty vocals and reverberating guitar solos enrapture after the first listen. Formed in February 2011 in San Francisco, the duo brings a classic sound revamped to the table. Their track “John The Revelator” features an aggressive intro that grabs you by the shoulders and snaps you to attention, only to be sat back down once lead Alex McInturff contributes gospel-esque vocals (“Down to the river/ remind him of the day/that God came down in the cool of the day/he was naked and afraid”).
“Icarus” features a riveting guitar-led theme, accented by beautifully soulful lyrics reminiscent of Kurt Cobain (“Why would you want to be the one who lived behind the sun/why would you want to be the one who lived inside the sun”). Their premiere album also features a dark, revamped cover of “House of the Rising Sun” with an edge. Classically innovative and refreshingly grungy, Mt Hammer is hitting hard. – Kat Collins