Mondo Ray
Hypnotized b/w Nothing
Munich, Germany
“Euro Punks Trash Das Garage”
Mondo Ray comes to us from the land of lederhosen and sauerkraut, which might evoke thoughts of Mike Myers’ “Sprockets” or Chevy Chase’s Oktoberfest dance in European Vacation. Fortunately, the band is less Kraftwerk and more Replacements. Loud, crunchy, slapdash garage rock – just with better clothes. They are European, after all. “Hypnotized” is (excuse the lazy writing) a hypnotic, pulsating nugget of power slop goodness. With a runtime of less than two minutes, the band takes a cue from punk icons the Ramones by not overstaying their welcome. They’re in, they’re out, they rock. Before you know it, the chugging guitar and bass have pounded out the last chord changes, and it’s time to flip the record.
MONDO RAY-HYPNOTIZED by WINDIAN RECORDS
“Nothing,” like the A-side, is another two-minute gem of garage madness. Counting off with an aggressively plucked single note guitar line, a wave of noise soon gives way to a groovier side of Mondo Ray. Featuring a quasi-dance beat and distorted-beyond-belief buzz saw guitars, “Nothing” fades out as quickly as it came.
And that’s it. In less than five minutes, Mondo Ray has delivered one of the best rock singles of the year. No pretense. No bullshit. Just Mondo.
Recorded and Mixed by Mojo Matt Bordin
Recorded at Outside Inside Studio – Montebelluna, Italy
LABEL: Windian Records
FORMAT: 7-inch (45 RPM)
COLOR: Green (First 100 Copies)
PRESSING: 500 Copies
VINYL MASTERING: Daniel Hajji Husayn
SLEEVE ART: Alex Fine Illustration