Mother Said has released their third single ‘Stigmata’. Following the trend with their previous single ‘Catholic Guilt’, the band is keeping in theme with the religious imagery.
The song name itself is a term from Christian mysticism meaning bleeding, scars, or pains corresponding to those of the crucified Jesus Christ, that is on the hands, feet, near the heart, and sometimes on the head (to signify the crown of thorns placed on his head) or the back/shoulders (signify the carrying of the cross).
The song tells the story of a public figure proclaiming themselves as a modern-day martyr after stealing and cheating their way to the top of the point of success.
The single itself gives the feel of classic new age and punk music, not only musically but also the meaning and imagery used to promote the song.
The song starts with an amazing, isolated bass riff before being accompanied by the rest of the band. Although the lead guitar takes centre stage musically you can still hear the bass riff subtly in the background which adds to the song. The cymbals repeatedly being hit throughout the bridge of the song and then being accompanied by a build-up in the drums helps to add to the breakdown of the chorus and match the vocals. This is best displayed at the big finish at the end of the single.
The band’s vocals work really well for this type of song, the layered low voices from the two lead vocalists throughout the verses work incredibly well with the prominent bass riff as mentioned before. Pair this with the male backing vocals in the chorus of the song while the leads are almost shouting over them, and with the ending of the song having all of them loudly shouting over each other. Mother Said knows what works for their vocals and how to complement each other perfectly.