EP Review: Mothman and The Thunderbirds – Into the Instrumentals (Self Released)

Into the Instrumentals is a reimagined selection of songs from the Mothman and The Thunderbirds’ debut album Into the Hollow. Rather than simply releasing an instrumental version of the whole album, project frontman Alex Parkinson wanted the EP to be a unique listening experience.

Into the Instrumentals will be released on August 3rd, 2021.

We were big fans of the album ‘Into the Hollow’ even though it was what we called:

A bloody weird album that seems to be unable to sit still for any length of time. One minute it’s sounding like the lovechild of Mastodon and Nebula, at others the deformed mess of Candlemass and Primus, then at others like something Voivod and Devin Townsend coughed up into a blender. Of course, it also sounds like none of these insane things.

This instrumental EP is just as strange and is more for those who enjoyed Into the Hollow, rather than drawing in a ton of new fans. It’s a chance to hear a handful of tracks from the album in a unique way. Where the focus is completely on the instrumentation only, allowing a fair bit more clarity to certain parts.

Of the tracks, it is Agarthan Riders that sounds the grandest, but the chunkier, heavier groove of Nomad is pretty damn good to the ears too. The most unique of all though? The 28 seconds of Squonk which is vocals only. It’s very, very cool.

13-ish minutes long, as short as it is, there is a lot to unpack here. Stand alone? It will have some appeal but as an accompaniment to Into the Hollow it is well worth hearing.

Mothman and the Thunderbirds – Into the Instrumentals Full Track Listing:

1. Cloud Giant (Instrumental)
2. Agarthan Riders (Instrumental)
3. Nomad (Instrumental)
4. Squonk (Vocals Only)
5. Hollow Sun (Instrumental)

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