‘Too Sorry For Any Sorrow’ by Mountain Bike (Album)

Mountain Bike: the Brussels-based foursome of Charles, Aurelien, Étienne and Stefano. Photo: Boris Görtz

Though emanating from the Brussels garage rock scene, this gloriously esoteric album takes the listener on a wildly varied ride

Originally formed as a side-project, this second album from the Brussels-based foursome of Charles, Aurelien, Étienne and Stefano is the pinnacle of their combined careers to date. It’s a glorious sprint through the rocky outcrops of their varied musical landscapes and a serious tour de force.

The slacker-zaniness of opening track Future Son gives way to the squelch of Absolutely, delightfully punctuated with catkin-like guitar licks whose spiky surprises eventually drop off to give way to a fully blossomed cosmic explosion. A willowy rhythm takes over on This Lonely Place, slinking the band in yet another direction. Parallels can be made to the recent output of King Gizzard & The Wizard Lizard; a sense of a band funnelling all their creative juices through the hopper in order to see what comes out.

The upbeat Mean With You, lo-fi haze of Copycat and undulating garage rock of B+, B- are further proof that it’s a welcome method. Each track brings something new and increases the anticipation for what is next. Songs like Pretty Jerk Like You, a fuzzy slice of off-kilter indie, can be enjoyed in isolation or as part of the esoteric hole and there’s an infectious thread running through the album which holds the entire thing together. Mountain Bike have nothing to be sorry about here.

Verdict: A creative explosion

Duncan Haskell

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