"Mabel" by Satsangi

Checking my records, it seems that it's been a couple of years since I last told you of a Satsangi release (that would be "Ultraviolet" in June 2023) and any chagrin at the wait will be ameliorated by the news that it heralds an upcoming new album from them.

Made with John Rivers at Woodbine Street studio, it certainly is a welcome return. Which is to say that I liked it a great deal. If the whole album is of this ilk then I'll be happy.

The band tend to go through phases of sound which is a good thing to do: variety is indeed the spice of the listener's experience and things keep fresher this way. The last main phase was a sparse one as they put out music during lockdown which not only reflected those times but limited which band members could be featured.

Prior to that was the ‘You Saw Something' album: seen perhaps as a career peak at the time, it had a relatively dense and overpowering take on the characteristic Satsangi sonic attack.

I don't think that is a sustainable approach & anyway a ‘You Saw Something' Mk II would only devalue the original. Perhaps conscious of not wanted to settle into a formula & perhaps due to those starker lockdown songs, "Mabel" seems to hark back to an earlier, more punk & direct Satsangi: powerful, seering but with a bit more space in there.

I like what Su has done with the vocals: you can pretty much still tell it's her but they are significantly different to her approaches from the past: it's atmospheric in a Siouxsie Sioux  sort of style which I find compelling. In fact the song itself is redolent of early Banshees which is no bad thing in my book. And I gather she plays guitar on the track too.

Strong stuff, compelling stuff & Satsangi on top form. What more could you require?