The MBG’s EP Everywhere We Sit Is VIP is an interesting concoction of sounds and influences. Proving difficult to pin the band down into a subgenre within the frame of ‘indie’, it’s this level of defiance and uniqueness that makes The MBG’s music so refreshing. It’s not singing so much as it is telling stories to music – a technique which worked out just fine for the likes of Lou Reed and Jamie T.
Although the EP was recorded at the Colchester Institute and produced, mixed and mastered by Spaced Productions, there’s a distinctly homemade feel to the record. Whether this is owing to poor production or a desire for such a sound is open to interpretation. The vocal alternates between loud and quiet, and the drum definitely takes too much prominence at points (especially in the ‘Cynic Song’), but the fact that it sounds like it could have been created in your mates’ garage makes the listener feel close to the band. Their sound grows on you, that’s for sure.
If opener ‘Rose Tints’ is a lo-fi amble through a botanical garden somewhere, then ‘Blues No. 1’ has you running through the streets being chased by the police. ‘Rich Kid’ is an amusing experience, with “So I’ve fallen for a rich kid / I know I’m so ashamed” epitomising kitchen sink lyricism. ‘Wake Up’ is a drunken stumble through the town, and the repetitive chorus “but do I really really wanna wake up?” is coupled with a racing melody, making it an incontestable standout from the EP.
A smorgasbord of moods are evoked by Everywhere We Sit Is VIP, and although it feels a bit random in its composition, it’s clear that The MBG have something to say. Exactly what though, we’re yet to work out.
Words by Beth Kirkbride