Martion Fuhtre

It was a long time between drinks as it were.  The Mutes first CD, Just Us, which was of entirely original songs came out in 2012 and now five years later the Mutes have released a six track CD which had a working title of 3 X 3 =.  The EP has three original songs primarily written by vocalist Miranda Mills and three of the covers the band play as part of their performance sets.  Those three much loved  covers are David Bowie’s ‘Rebel Rebel’, Lou Reed’s ‘Waiting for the Man’ and Free’s classic rock song that closes out the Mute’s gigs, ‘Alright Now’.

January 2016 saw the Mutes head to Whangarei to stay on the grounds of Whangarei Heads School below the mighty Mount Manaia for a band camp to rehearse new songs in the campus hall.  During the band camp the Mutes headed into Whangarei one evening to play a gig at a venue called the Old Butter Factory with a local group the Watts.  From the music played and round the dinner table at night the plans for a new cd were formed.  Through 2016 the Mutes continued honing their chops and working on potential songs for a new cd.  The focus was to put out a cd that not only represented the essence of the band as musicians and songwriters but to engineer a sound that was as good as any release in the NZ indie market.

The band in November of that year travelled north again  for three days  to Anzac Road Studio where Sam Benge the Mutes ‘musical director’ records and engineers.  It was over these three days that the band members learnt about the recording process, laying down the six tracks that are now on the Martion Fuhtre disc.

And the name – well on the two and a half hour trip northward to Whangarei to amuse and distract ourselves names for the CD were tossed back and forth and then for further distraction and the sanity of the driver everyone got to right down their favorites. Martion Futhre sounded just right however the spelling was a bit eccentric so we kept it anyway.

The cover was designed by artist Anna Crichton, who has worked for the New York Times, Wall St Journal, Time Magazine and she is the five time winner of the Canon/Qantas Editorial Artist Media award - New Zealands’ premier Media Awards.  Along with her continued work for a range of media , Anna also tutors in art at A Supported Life’s creative space, two4nine.