As with the first two releases, we were all super busy with our “main” projects and we just wanted to hit the studio to kick out a few jams real quick for the fun of it. Chris and I were touring heavily in Company of Thieves and preparing to track their 2nd record. Bob was playing with Big Science and Empires and doing session work for some Chicago artists.

So most of this EP comes from riffs I came up with while rocking out by myself to some drum loops I laid down. But it kicks off with Bob’s first contribution as a songwriter, Terranaut, which has become one of our most-requested live songs and the most epic track in our catalog.
When we were ready to record this one, good old Stereophonic had unfortunately closed, so we opted for the cleaner and more climate-controlled IV Lab. During this session I first discovered that playing two consecutive notes on a keyboard through heavy distortion makes a sound similar to guitar feedback. And the rest is dissonant.
Personally, I feel like this EP is where the 1st phase of Mutts hit its climax. We were just getting it all out. Whatever demons needed to be exorcised at that time in our lives went straight to tape. Psych rock, grunge, whatever you want to call it, I think this EP is the best example of it. Recording it all live in a day made it the most cohesive of the three EPs as well, so we made sure on the master that all the tracks ran into each other, since that’s what it felt like in recording. All of the hysterics between tracks was from working a long ass day – and we even had to record Masquerade TWICE because the computer ate the files the first time.

The only overdubs were again some B3 organ and my vocals – which I finished just in time to get on the plane with Chris Faller to go track the Company of Thieves album in LA with Rob Schnapf. Jon and Bob did the mixes together while we were out in California. It was tough to not be there, but my thing at the time was to finish it while the inspiration was there, just make the art, put it out and do another one!

We released this EP at the Beat Kitchen on October 1st with Archie Powell & the Exports. It was the beginning of a long band bromance between the two of us, plus Glittermouse and our pals Hemmingbirds.