The Lost Millions – Pile Of Robots EP

By RingMaster Review on April 1, 2023 • ( 0 )

Our introduction to alternative rockers THE LOST MILLIONS recently came with thanks to our friend Rhonda of WHIPLASH PR. Hailing out of Austin, Texas, the band has been courting keen attention and support not only on their local scene but further afield since releasing their debut album back in 2017. Their presence and prowess may have not quite registered on all radars this side of the pond as we can attest to but with their new EP, Pile Of Robots EP, we suggest that could be about to change.

Consisting of vocalist Matt Westfield, bassist Heath McBurnett and drummer Scott Bettersworth, THE LOST MILLIONS have a sound which, in exploring their latest release, is multi-flavoured in its design and imagination. Alt rock, post punk, psych rock, grunge and more besides emerge within the EP’s tracks, each offering an eclectic fusion different to the one before it but all united in the band’s alignment of rapacious grooves, esurient rhythms and virulent sonic trespass.

The release of that first album, 101, was followed two years later by the critically acclaimed EP, Novellas Dantes and also, as they were planning a series of singles, a realisation that to keep momentum going embracing an outside producer would be a potent next step. The band subsequently linked up with veteran engineer and producer Charles Godfrey (of Scary American Recordings), a union the band says allowed them to achieve a deeper array of sounds and find a fresh take on their music.

Pile of Robots resonates with that new adventure from the off, its endeavours taking familiar flavours and weaving them into striking new proposals nurtured and cast with real individuality. Though it may be slightly different to the actual track order we have seen written elsewhere, we are exploring the release in the song order of the promo sent over and our look begins with our favourite track within the EP, Wake Up.

The band’s latest single instantly sends electrified flumes through ears, its sizzling elements as quickly aligned to imposing yet infectious rhythms and Westfield’s crepuscular tones. That initial virulence sweeps the whole song just as swiftly again, psych rock sultriness resonating in the flames of guitar and similarly the tenebrific shades and shadows which add to the song’s compelling presence.

Kush flirts with ears initially, teasing them with varied lures before breaking into a hook fuelled stroll which instantly had the body swinging and appetite alive. It is a persuasion escalated by Westfield’s calm vocals and subsequently the song’s fiery eruption, the repeat of the cycle only drawing us further in, with physical and vocal involvement at the ready in return. It too is a track which burrowed deep whilst revelling in the band’s sonic dexterity with Stuck in the Scene similarly feeding an appetite for flirtatious hooks, rhythmic manipulation and colourfully inflamed sonic enterprise. Though slightly less urgent and invasive than the previous pair but again with crescendos of pure clamorous power, the track proved just as eventful and creatively cunning as the two within one flaming adventure.

Definitely mellower was My Phase and its love triangle exploration, a track echoing its exploration of the tough times and trespassing anxiety within such an experience in a relatively tranquil yet volatile landscape of sound and sonic fire. Again, the band’s craft in aligning infectious hooks with suggestive sounds and resonating textures swiftly captivated and incited the senses.

The EP also embraces a superb cover of THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN classic, Snakedriver. THE LOST MILLIONS draw out the instinctive beast within the song, casting it in a feral sonic blaze within which untamed melodic resonance and the band’s magnetic individuality flames. The track has been a popular part of the band’s live set for a fair while now and it took no time to see why with its striking presence here.

And striking is the Pile Of Robots EP, as we said our introduction to its creators but only the first step in close attention hereon in.

The Pile Of Robots EP is out now.