The Institutes - The Mountain Song

Artwork courtesy of the band.

The Institutes have released ‘The Mountain Song’, the second single from their upcoming second album. It was produced by Pastel and The Enemy cohort Matt Terry.

Last time out on ‘Trick of the Light’, bridged the gap from their debut album toward a new sound somewhere between Wunderhorse and Ride. With the pleasantries out of the way, ‘The Mountain Song’ arrives with a bombast and directness previously unheard from The Institutes.

Second Coming’ era John Squire licks open proceedings, but there is no time for six-minute solos here. They dive headstrong into the emotive side of Doves and Soundtrack of Our Lives and the heavier shoegaze of Swervedriver and Ride. This melting pot serves up a single charged with a sense of destiny.

Despite this, it’s a song tinged with sadness. As frontman Kane .roars  “there’s nobody there”, the overriding sense that life is futile pervades the song. An emptiness follows the protagonist as he declares, “falling down from the mountain / landed straight into the sea, yeah / there's nobody there to catch me”. Such is the urgency of the guitars and basslines, images of the forlorn getting up and trying again, and again, and again win through.

‘Mountain Song’ is in many ways the perfect discourse for a band. Being lost, creatively isolated, yet returning to the well time and time again to seek out the magic and live out a dream. The Institutes have added great drama to this tale, landing you a film's inciting moment and a hero’s quest for glory.