Minibeast : The Maze of Now
Dropping the name Peter Prescott might not necessarily cause one to stop in their tracks but in the pantheon of the Our Band Could Be Your Life American independent rock and punk underground, he’s a goddamn hero. Few had a better stuff-of-legend run than Prescott did during the 1980s and through the early ’00s as drummer, guitarist and singer. He was a spark plug of the vibrant Boston scene as the sticks-man (and occasional singer) of Mission of Burma before leading Volcano Suns then he helped jumpstart the early years of Matador Records with his band Kustomized. Incredibly, there are few touchstone indie labels Prescott hasn’t made a crucial dent in, including, Homestead, SST, Touch & Go and the aforementioned Matador (all released records by Prescott’s bands), plus Merge showed their love for Volcano Suns several years back when it reissued a pair of their beloved classic ’80s records, The Bright Orange Years and All-Night Lotus Party, and a live-in-concert document.
After the demise of Kustomized and, later on, the permanent split of Mission of Burma after its successful second life, Prescott turned his attention to new project Minibeast, first operating as a home-recorded one-man-band. Eventually, Minibeast rounded into a focused unit as it ballooned into a trio. After a few albums of homing in on a signature sound and direction, Prescott, drummer Keith Seidel and bassist Neils LaWhite hit on all cylinders on 2023’s On Ice as they found its singular sonic niche. In cranking out minimalist, experimental-leaning weird and warped rock jams built on a propulsive Talking Heads-like rhythmic foundation and featuring Prescott’s buzzsaw guitar stabs and gruff wail, Minibeast proved the natural extension of his post-punk arc.
The Maze of Now signals a tremendous leap forward in Minibeast’s quest for the perfect jagged groove. And they deliver the goods. What’s striking about The Maze of Now is evidenced in Prescott’s evolution from melodic, yet abrasive, indie punk rocker in Volcano Suns and Kustomized to free-improvvy abstract experimentalist in Minibeast. Still, his signature slash and burn riffage remains instantly recognizable and his acerbic croak intact yet assuming a more backseat role. In other words, enthusiasts of Prescott’s previous bands will find much to like here, as well as new fans.
While Prescott is Minibeast’s drawing power based on past pedigree, The Maze of Now is a true band effort. This trio, specifically the steady-as-a-rock rhythm section, lock onto a monster groove and surge ahead with forward momentum, all the while affording Prescott the space to pepper the din with huge reverb-drenched hooks and manipulated electronic swirls. Envision a cross between Stooges’ Fun House and Remain in Light by Talking Heads and you get a pretty good idea.
While On Ice ratcheted up a raw and primal attack, the batch of songs that make up The Maze of Now traverses more atmospheric levels of sound; the vibe is an entrancing form of fist-clenching space-rock from another universe. Psychedelic rippers, such as the album opening trifecta of “Spots,” “Nearo,” and “The Great Escapist” shows Prescott has just as many hooky guitar lines in his arsenal as, say, J Mascis. Meanwhile, “Burster” is cut from the Fun House cloth—confrontational and with huge guitars. But if ever there was a Minibeast de facto anthem, look no further than the aptly titled “Defenders of the Sound,” a mind-expanding, kaleidoscopic funk-damaged trip that spits out shards of skronk as Prescott woozily yelps out a declaration they are “defenders of the sound.” On The Maze of Now, indeed they are.
Label: Self-released
Year: 2025
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