“We were dropped from our record label [Warner Bros], so we had to start our own label, Wojtek Records,” King explains. “We lost our long-time guitarist, Greg Hill, around that time too. Paul, Roy [Mitchell-Cardenas] and I really had to go back to basics and work on repairing the band from the ground up, and try to remember why we started the band in the first place.”
In the summer of 2011 Mutemath announced that guitarist Todd Gummerman would be joining the four-piece, and soon after both King and Meany welcomed their own new additions into the world. “We became dads,” King smiles, “then suddenly, a year and a half or two ago, the clouds parted and we started to see the fruits of our labour. You could say it came to fruition – I’m sorry, that was a terrible dad joke.”
It’s not surprising that King is in such high spirits, currently on a massive world tour for their fourth (and arguably most accomplished) studio album, Vitals. The night we spoke, King and his bandmates were enjoying a rare night off. “The tour so far has been amazing – we’re having a great time. We’re in Los Angeles on a night out, so right now I’m about to make that all-important decision of ‘What do I eat? Do I go all out and treat myself or am I just going to get something cheap, be fiscally smart and save up – or just splash the cash?’ I can’t decide, but I’m leaning towards Ramen – there are some good Ramen places here.”
Beyond a love for Ramen, there’s no denying that Mutemath work hard. Even with all the turmoil of the past few years they’ve managed to visit Australia three times since they first met audiences Down Under in 2012 – and when I mention this fact to King, I’m not in the least surprised by his response. “Yes, that’s right. And I’m looking forward to eating as much as I possibly can while I’m in Australia. But the thing I’m even more excited about, and I certainly didn’t know until I got there, is how incredible you guys are at coffee. It’s better than here, and everywhere else,” he says. “I was not expecting Australia to be the coffee-snobbiest country that I’ve ever been to – I love that.”
Mutemath are known for their dynamic and exciting live shows. Their disco-tinged synths and thumping basslines are complemented by an impressive light show, and King says that he has something special planned for punters when they arrive here next month for Groovin the Moo and a string of solo shows. “The new thing we have is that I do a high five electronic glove solo. It just occurred to me one day when we were in rehearsal. I put these things on (they’re called drum triggers) – these little Presario microphonic triggers inside of a gardening glove, and then I plug them into my sampler. Whenever someone puts the glove on and I give them a high five, it makes a snare drum sound. We also have other gloves that make the kickdrum and a couple of other sounds. So there’s an addition in the set now – my new ‘High Five’ solo.”
BY NATALIE ROGERS
