Mock Media's 'Rat Bastard' Is a Power-Pop Riot That Refuses to Pick a Lane
Mock Media have spent their career sounding like “everybody and nobody else simultaneously,” and on Rat Bastard — out on the small but sharp-eared Mac’s Record Label — that eclecticism finally clicks into their most comprehensive, cohesive statement to date. This is bouncy, riffy nu-wave and power pop that refuses to sit still, and it’s all the better for it.
The Sonic Breakdown
The Production & Mix
The Low-End: The bass work throughout is the record’s secret weapon — a rolling, melodic low end that Talking Heads’ Tina Weymouth would covet, giving even the most angular songs a pop-song backbone to hang from.
The Spatial Dynamics: Chiming guitars and barked vocal unisons sit right up front in the mix, DEVO-style tension balanced against The Cars’ new-wave polish, so the record feels dense with ideas without ever turning into clutter.
Standout Performance
The whole band commits to the bit equally — no single player is chasing the spotlight, which is exactly why the constant genre-hopping holds together instead of scattering. It’s an ensemble record through and through.
Why It’s Certified
Plenty of bands sound like a mood board; Mock Media sound like a mood board with a pulse. Rat Bastard keeps listeners on their toes without ever feeling scattered or inauthentic, multifaceted in the best sense of the word. This is a small-label band making the argument, one chiming guitar line at a time, that they belong in the same conversation as the influences they’re so gleefully raiding. Certified great.