Mount Sharp - “That Shadow”

Words by Zach Romano

After six years, a slew of band babies, and major lineup changes, Brooklyn’s Mount Sharp have returned with a fantastic new album on Dadstache Records. That Shadow is Mount Sharp’s first proper full-length and their first release since 2014’s Weird Fears EP. The band’s new rhythm section and ear-worm hooks provide the perfect backdrop for singer and primary songwriter Sarah Wood (Swood)’s smart, sensitive, and often cheeky lyrics.

Six years is a long time for any band, and the changes and development from the 2014 EP to this record make themselves evident immediately. Where the songs on Weird Fears featured stadium drums and a deep bed of bass, That Shadow often allows the bass to carry the melody under a cloud of Sheer Mag-esque high-register guitar static. This departure can be heard most clearly on singles “Apostate” and “Ordinary.”

The album format gives the band more space to stretch out and experiment with styles and atmospheres they have not touched on previous releases. Centerpiece “Voyager 1” uses synths, glockenspiel, and a sneaky trumpet to provide what could indeed be a soundtrack for the song’s namesake space probe’s lazy journey out of the solar system and into interstellar space.

All that said, Swood’s lyrics are That Shadow’s real star. "This is a 30-year-old's record," they told Look at My Records’ Tom Gallo. Wood sings about the often-disappointing realities of complicated relationships: “Domes” covers escaping the trap of expectations that keep getting lower, and “Don’t” describes the empowerment and even joy felt when you realize that the shitty ex hitting you up no longer holds sway over your emotions. They have a real talent for the witty kiss-off: “You think you're the sun; at best you're dust in a light beam,” they sing on “Voyager 1.”

In an alternate universe in which shows still exist, you can see Mount Sharp play songs off That Shadow at Planet X off the Seneca M stop in Ridgewood on Friday, April 3 alongside Brooklyn mainstays Jelly Kelly and Jon the Guilt. In this shittier universe in which that show is no longer happening, find Mount Sharp on Bandcamp, where you can purchase That Shadow on vinyl, tape or digital download.

You can also stream Tom’s interview with Swood on Spotify and all other streaming platforms.

Photo by Ebru Yildiz.