3 out of 5

Label: Auris Apothecary

Produced by: Look Mum No Computer (?)

I’m gonna have to be a hater here and call this hype and concept over content. Look Mum No Computer’s handmade / modified electronics certainly fit with label Auris Apothecary’s DIY ethos, but the music – bravado aside – is nigh top 20 material. That doesn’t make it bad, just very predictable, with rhythms cribbed from earworms you already know, and sing-song lyrics that take fairly generic stabs at media and social media – anthems that are easy to get behind, and hum along to the catchy choruses with. We can hear LMNC’s – aka Sam Battle – enthusiasm throughout, and the album, aurally, sounds great, Battle’s vocals pitched properly to give his UK drawl proper oomph against the programmed beats and layered sounds, which all ring out with a nice balance between clarity and rawness. A track like Are You Feeling This shows how Battle can channel that into some genre-skipping modalities, but in general, LMNC sticks to a Kasabian-esque electro rock, which begs the question of what all of those wacky instrument modifications are doing, if the result is Something That Sounds Like Something Else.

But that’s judging the mini-album against Auris’ output, and LMNC’s status as a DIY musician. On the other hand, if something this fun and funky did pop up on a top 20 playlist, it’d definitely stand out in a positive light – immensely catchy and familiar, with indications of immense creativity bustling about its seams, though not quite busting through them. As Battle was still young when this music was made – 18 – it’ll be interesting to see how the artist evolves over time, potentially pushing that energy into more unique directions.