If there’s one takeaway from listening to Land Mammal, it’s that Kinsley August and Will Weise want listeners to enjoy a healing journey.
This sensation is manifest succinctly on Slow Your Mind. Following their self-titled 2019 EP, the psych duo’s recently released debut album represents organic, homegrown, handmade rock ’n’ roll.
“This record really helped us discover the Land Mammal universe or what our purpose really is as musicians: to heal through sound, to extend a bridge of communication, a psychedelic vibration to the listener,” August said.
Produced by Land Mammal with drummer and Grammy-nominated producer and engineer Bryan David (Duran Duran, Tracy Chapman, Supertramp) at Anthem Recording Studio in Plano, Slow Your Mind was mastered by Grammy winner Richard Dodd (Wilco, Green Day, Steve Earle) in Nashville. It took over two years to record, August said. The pandemic got in the way.
“We really wanted to take our time and put together an album that we were truly proud of,” Weise said. “Our goal was to capture an authentic rock sound. We’d much rather have a take of a song that has emotion and feel rather than a take that is ‘perfect’ but otherwise stale and devoid of emotion.”
Purity could be said to be Land Mammal’s ethos, which does not preclude top-notch branding. The vinyl format features a deluxe gatefold cover and special vinyl mastering with artwork by Robin Gnista, the band’s favorite artist, and a groovy video for “Psychedelic Hand” came out in August. Filmed at Makers Gym in Frisco by Corey Ray and Brad Holmes, the video features the raw energy of Land Mammal in their element: onstage.
The band’s roots date back to 2018, when August and Weise were gigging around North Texas, vocalist/lyricist August in his solo band and guitarist/sitarist Weise in Gypsy Sun Revival.
“We met at a gig and hit it off,” Weise said.
Weise, August said, called him one day at 8:30 a.m. “For some reason, I answered while getting ready to go to work. I don’t know what sane musician calls anyone that early, but I really enjoyed his band and respected his talent as a guitarist, so we began to write music together a week after that call and have explored many territories of sound since beginning this musical journey.”
Photo courtesy of Corey Ray
Weise said they found a mutual work ethic and an undying determination to put out soul-stirring music. “Writing songs with [August] came easy, and that was a sign from the universe that we were somehow meant to create art together.”
COVID shut down recording for a few months, but the duo said that in a lot of ways, it gave them more time to reflect on their passions and their place in society.
“It gave us a break from our day-to-day activities and gave us a chance to step back and evaluate things with a different perspective,” August said. “It has been a reflective moment for us.”
The group explores the heavy sides of existence and aims to achieve a meditative experience by churning out unfiltered, fearless music with purpose.
“We write pretty much daily,” August said, “exchanging song ideas, riffs, or files. The creation process brings us fulfillment, so naturally we wanted to continue to explore what Land Mammal could become. It’s an ever-growing sound and always honest with us. … We have arrived, but this is just the beginning.”
