Prism Tats

Prism Tats – Prism Tats (2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 38:47 minutes | 443 MB | Genre: Alternative, Indie, Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Anti – Epitaph

Prism Tats front man Garett van der Spek knew from an early age that rock and roll was not only his calling but his window and rocket ship to the outside world. While proud of his South African origins, it was through his parents record collection that he was spoon fed western rock ‘n roll, pop and R’nB, and it left it’s mark. Although Prism Tats began as a one-man band with a drum machine keeping beat for van der Spek’s quite modestly self-described “yelping and noodling”, it has quickly gained momentum: after enlisting a live drummer, local performances at the Bootleg, the Echo and the Growlers 3rd annual Beach Goth Party have begun to turn Angelenos’ heads. Their debut, self-titled, album is bookended by the reverb-laden “Pacifist Masochist” at the start and the back-to-back tag-team of “Haunt Me” and “Know It All” at the finish. This trio of songs recalls the ghostly throwback groove-stomp and fuzzy warmth of bands like The Jesus & Mary Chain and The Raveonettes, with Van der Spek flexing his vocal chops in different registers.
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Prism Tats – Mamba (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 35:36 minutes | 726 MB | Genre: Indie Rock, Alternative Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Anti – Epitaph

Recorded with producer Chris Woodhouse (Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall), Mamba explores themes of self-inflicted isolation, working-class hopelessness, and the emotional damage of technology addiction. “Most of these new songs came from taking in what’s going on in the world today, and being afraid of the future we’re headed toward,” notes Garett van der Spek, the L.A.-based singer/songwriter behind Prism Tats.

With its sonic complexity and understated emotional depth, Mamba has a double meaning to its title. “It’s the name of a venomous snake, and in my hometown it’s a slang term for the biggest or meanest of something,” van der Spek points out.

As he explains, the word mamba ultimately embodies the sense of fear and defiance threaded throughout the record and especially evident in its epic title track. “The song is partly about letting go of that fear,” says van der Spek. “When I say ‘Give me the mamba,’ I mean ‘Give me the whole experience’: the good and the bad and everything else that might exist in between.”
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