Southampton’s rising rock stars The Manatees release their best work to date in the form of EP Different State Of Mind.
The five-track coming-of-age EP showcases the band’s progression and musicianship as the trio turn to their most experimental phase yet.
The EP gets off to an impactful start with last year’s single ‘Buttercup’; a darker, electrifying anthem with hints of Nothing But Thieves all about tensions that can arise in a romantic relationship. Moving swiftly into ‘Get What You Want’ it’s a deeply infectious earworm abundant with vigorous guitar hooks textured with climatic bass rhythms, twinkling synths tied together with lead singer Jay Harris’ compelling vocals.
‘Call You A Criminal’ is another catchy pop number with soaring choruses. Its bold production captures hip-hop samples, funk-driven basslines, and sparkling guitars to perfection.
Lead single ‘Best Of Me’ kicks off with a trancing drum and bass intro, the single effortlessly transitions into a magnetic force of alternative rock.
It’s about feeling like you can’t show the people around you the best version of yourself. I think it’s sadly often the case that we hurt the people we’re closest to because we feel the most comfortable around them. They seem to take the brunt of the negative aspects of our character because we feel like we can be any which way around them. It can be hard to hide the ‘bad days’ and they often see the worst in us, rather than the best.
Jay Harris speaking on track ‘Best Of Me’
Ending on ‘February’s Cold’ the track shows The Manatees at their most intimate. The stripped-back track is a different side to friends Jay, Tyler and Miller as they furnish the EP with mellow acoustics to create a delicate ballad.
‘Different State Of Mind’ is an EP to be proud of. Delving into the complexities of relationships, insecurities and the emotions that come alongside navigating those feelings, each track has a unique way of telling the stories through both sound and lyricism.
Talking about the release of the EP, the band says: “‘Different State of Mind’ is a coming-of-age. It explores the emotions we experience when we’re learning to navigate life. Love, insecurity, frustration, exhaustion, vulnerability and distance are all themes that stretch across the EP. It’s fizzy, dark and energetic.
“We recorded it in Liverpool with Tarek Musa (Spring King, The Big Moon, Gengahr). Tarek has energy pulsing through his veins, it’s woven into his DNA and we were incredibly lucky to have part of his sound imprinted on this project. We consider ourselves a live band, so having a feeling of excitement throughout the tracks is incredibly important to us – it made this partnership so amazing. The EP is an evolution of the sound we’ve been working on for the last couple of years. We’re continuing to spend more time tinkering with synthesisers, samples and vocoders, but fuzzy riffs and hooky choruses are still at the core of who we are”.
The EP is also available to buy on special limited edition 10″ silver vinyl here.
The Manatees’ headline tour takes place in the spring of next year, making stops in Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Brighton, London, and more throughout April 2024. Tickets are on sale now here.
Following their sold-out show at Heartbreakers last week, they will also be playing their biggest hometown show to date at Papillon in Southampton on Saturday 28th September. Tickets are on sale now here.
LIVE DATES
- Wednesday 17th April – Bristol, Rough Trade
- Thursday 18th April – Manchester, The Lodge @ The Deaf Institute
- Friday 19th April – Leeds, Headrow House
- Saturday 20th April – Glasgow, The Attic @ The Garage
- Monday 22nd April – Newcastle, Cluny 2
- Wednesday 24th April – Birmingham, The Sunflower Lounge
- Thursday 25th April – London, Colours
- Saturday 27th April – Brighton, The Green Door Store
Featured image by Luke Shadrick
