By DJ Monk
Bordeaux-based heavy blues power trio Dätcha Mandala certainly believe in putting the graft into their craft. It may have taken them eight years to get around to release their debut album, but that had been preceded with the three guys pounding every pavement in their native France, and beyond. And, that is a formula they have repeated in the three years between that first release and this, its follow-up, which once again sees them teaming up with both acclaimed producer Clive Martin (known for his work with the likes of Queen, Thom Yorke and Skunk Anansie) and the bespoke, artist-centric MRS label.
“Heavy blues” is an apt descriptive for Dätcha Mandala’s sound, as on the likes of ‘Mother God’ and ‘Missing Blues’ it inhabits a territory more associated with the banks of the Mississippi than the Garonne, yet possessed of the richness of the wine from the region from which these particular musical messieurs hail. At the same time, it touches bases with once-inspirational quaysides of the Mersey, on the Beatles-heavy ‘Morning Song’, and the Thames, on the East End psychedelic glam of ‘Sick Machine’.
Sonically, easy reference points are the likes of Blues Pills, The Hydden and fellow countrymen The Inspector Cluzo, with the heaviness of Kvelertak or Clutch bolstering the bottom end of their sound. Frontman Nicolas Sauvey has a vocal tinge that reminds of a pre-‘2112’ Geddy Lee, which perfectly suits some of the album’s more meandering passages, where he lets his voice rather than his lyrics make the impression, while at the same possessing enough depth and density to carry the heavier moments, such as the totally OTT fuzzed-out closer ‘Pavot’, with alacrity and aplomb.
‘Hara’ is a lovely album and provides a warm and welcoming listen. It is beautifully and thoughtfully crafted in every department, which makes for a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding aural experience from beginning to end. I’m glad I didn’t let this one pass me by, and hopefully it is one with which I will be refreshing my memory cells come the inevitable end-of-year listings.
- ‘Hara’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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