The Mouthbreathers bid Sackville a fond farewell

Free show series at the Pond ends with a bang.

A trio of Stereophonic alumni filled the campus pub last Tuesday. The event marked the last show in series that brought a couple of bands to the Pond once a month. It was also the Mouthbreathers last show in Sackville for the foreseeable future. The free event, made less free by its two dollar drink deal, was the final performance for the Sackville regulars before their tour of the west coast over the summer and bassist Kevin Brasier’s move to Toronto. They played alongside Nap Eyes and Monomyth, a pair of Halifax bands.

Nap Eyes started the evening off on the heels of an album release. Back in town for the first time since their performance of the final night of Stereophonic, the trio showed off a bunch of songs off their new album The Whine of the Mystics, which was released that very day. The album, in it and of itself a great collection of songs, did not really translate to a live setting. Like the album, their performance had some great moments where the music was really involving but, also like the album, there were moments of blandness that really stuck out in comparison. Their rolling indie rock, with builds and simple but pleasing harmonies, came together nicely at times but risked being a little boring at others.

Monomyth, who are Sackville regulars, brought in a baroque and fleshed out garage rock. The additional effects on each instrument ensured that there was not a moment of silence in the entire mix. Their tempo did vary though; it dipped from a slow rock beat backing to an upbeat punk. Even with that, the band did fall into the occasional bout of sameness. Their sound was so specific it made all their songs fall along the same track. This was not a big problem though because as a whole their sound is unique within the region—it is not often that shoegaze is played in Sackville.

The Mouthbreathers’ final set lived up to their usual standard of excellence. The night had a sentimental air to it, made even more so by the song by song dedications that punctuated the majority of their set. There was a bit of moshing that half-heartedly started up throughout the set but it never really sustained itself. Their cheery pop fit in well with the general feel of the night. They provided a middle ground, at least in terms of mood, between the sometimes moody Nap Eyes and the blissful Monomyth, with their overt and active happiness. Their old songs made the set easy to identify with while the ones, from their impending album, made it unpredictable enough to constitute a new experience.

The new Nap Eyes LP, The Whine of the Mystics, is available now on Bandcamp and the new Mouthbreathers EP, Corrupting the Youth, will be available soon.

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