Buggs - 'Mother'
South London residents Buggs reveal a more relaxed attitude towards songwriting with ‘Mother’, where the band's sensibilities manifest themselves in both lyrical and instrumental form.
Lyrically, ‘Mother’ sounds like London’s answer to Klara Söderberg, whilst the wandering bassline is superbly mixed into the track, commanding the direction throughout. Meanwhile, appropriately loose guitar melodies accompany light-hearted drumming to produce a track that could feel as at home on an American highway as it does in the capital.
The band have been compared to The Breeders in the past, but ‘Mother’ ditches any grungier aspects to their sound and appears decidedly more comfortable in the categories of Warpaint and Deerhunter, whilst retaining their influences from the 60s pop. The song’s lyrical content concerns “female resilience and motherhood” and is an honest reflection on a subject that is often ignored in the male-dominated music industry.
Since emerging from the woodwork in Spring of 2020 with the release of single ‘Nick Gowland’ by Sad Records Club, Buggs have made a slow but steady introduction into the indie music picture. With the release of their third single, following ‘Flaws’ in 2021, their journey is one I am certainly keen to follow, and one that hopefully produces a full-length LP in the not-so-distant future. Having had ‘Flaws’ recently featured in a Killing Eve episode, it would be no surprise to find their breakout is just around the corner.
South London’s music scene is hardly scarce, and it can be difficult to stick your head above the parapet to make audiences take notice. ‘Mother’, though, is an impassioned response to overcrowding and should prove itself to be Buggs’ most admired project yet.
Words by Dan Thompson
