“Passionate Crimes” is the final release from the MaceMouth’s partydeathrock ep. It will be released on August 13 and will be available to stream anywhere you can stream music. partydeathrock ep will be available on limited cassette via MaceMouth’s Bandcamp on August 13 here.

MaceMouth is a duo from Kansas City consisting of childhood friends Josh Hartranft and Mitchell Hewlett. With just bass and drums the band blends elements of garage-rock, hardcore, noise-rock, and dance-punk that coalesce into a raw and primitive yet powerful sound. In that spirit they’re not out to reinvent the wheel, but rather burn down the wagon.

While there are some obvious lines of comparison to draw when it comes to their music, the maybe not so obvious is where the heart of MaceMouth’s character truly lies. A punk ethos wrapped in a hip hop mentality. Both Hartranft and Hewlett grew up as metal heads with a massive love for hip hop and rap, often citing artists like KRS-One, El-p, Mobb Deep, and Method Man as influences on their art. Somewhere in the crossover that these cultures intersect is where you will find the band’s true power. Often jointly expressing desperation and indignation. Oppression and frustration. Poverty and anger. Joy and disappointment. Countless parallels that inform one’s perspective. 

‘Passionate Crimes’ was recorded and mixed by Paul Malinowski (of the band Shiner) at Massive Sound Studio in Kansas City and mastered by Spencer Hoad (Blink 182, Fidlar, The Used, Attack Attack!).

At the beginning stages of writing what would become the partydeathrock ep the band was rehearsing and writing in a vacant coffee roasting warehouse…often setting up in the large, one-toilet bathroom for a laugh. The lyrical tone of the EP somewhat runs the gamut, however, according the band, ‘Passionate Crimes’ sits as an outlier as the only love song on the record…a song about falling in love with bad people or maybe a song about how all love is a little toxic or maybe it’s about how we can often look for love in the wrong places. Ultimately, the band says it’s up to you to decide what it means.

The video was directed and edited by Sam Snead.

Photo courtesy of Cody Boston.