Chiang Mai trio makes magical music
Ugly Mountain
Ugly Mountain
Independent release
Ugly Mountain are a unique, Chiang Mai-based psychedelic rock band comprised of Gene Mahasmut Bunyaraksh (formerly of Saliva Bastards) on vocals and guitar, Cat Panupong Chareanrat on violin and Bam Tasasin Indhaphan on drums.
The unusual instrumentation of the trio creates a beautifully atmospheric sound on dreamy tracks like “Can’t Wake Up” and “Outro,” while the stripped-back nature of the band also helps to propel the more upbeat songs on the EP. The bluesy “Mountain” is another highlight, with a catchy melody and some great, grungy guitar playing.
There are altogether six songs on this mini-album, and every one of them is a winner. The mini-album is self-produced and has a cool lo-fi sound, as well as beautiful cover artwork by Bess Dolin.
Local listeners who want to hear some unusual modern psychedelic rock should definitely check out Ugly Mountain, who are shaping up to be one of Thailand’s most interesting new bands. — BE
Vocabulary
- psychedelic (adj): having bright colours, strange sounds, etc.
instrumentation (n): the way in which a piece of music is written for a particular group of instruments
strip back (phrasal v): to remove anything that is not necessary
propel (v): to move or drive something forward or in a particular direction
winner (n): a person or thing that is successful
shape up (phrasal v): to develop in a particular way
