Kicking off with a bounce and funk that’s impossible to not find yourself moving to, Mort City open ‘On The Scene’ with a level of excitement and energy that’s bound to get you grooving to this delectable collection of rhythm and blues alongside good old indie rock base arrangements. While ‘Teacher Teacher’ is certainly the kind of bouncy and infectious funk rock you’d love to start an album with, it’s far form the best this record has to offer even if it is deliciously infectious from back to front. It’s that signature fuzzy guitar sound, heavy yet palatable riffs, and a deep yet rather laid back vocal performance that gives this group their style.
‘Pumpkin Pie’ explodes into a much more grunge esque demeanour with a more gritty feeling. The flow on the vocals is almost like a nu-metal explosion, slightly staccato while building a sense of tension in the progression that has you craving a cathartic chorus line to bring it all together. The self-described fusion of vocals from a Cage the Elephant and Jack White does give you a broad sense into what the overarching idea behind this group’s sound is.
It’s both heavy from a more aggressive, almost metal sense, but also light-hearted in its spirit that gives it a decidedly more indie sheen. ‘On The Scene’ is a rock fanatic’s record, fusing a whole gamut of different ends of the spectrum into one neat package that somehow takes the best of all worlds together. Melodic at times and invigorating throughout, it’s a hell of a ride from end to end.