More about: Mandrake Handshake

“The Triple Point of Water is a single combination of pressure and temperature at which liquid water, solid ice, and water vapor can coexist in a stable equilibrium, occurs at exactly 273.1600 k (0.0100 °c; 32.0180 °f). At this precise point, it is possible to change all of the substance to ice, water, or steam by making the smallest, arbitrary changes in its environment. That’s to say, it is a thermodynamic knife-edge: an axial transient state, equally ready to instantiate any of the states of matter but ultimately not bound to any one of them.”

Are you a little lost? You needn’t be - I can reassure you that you haven’t just accidentally clicked onto BBC Bitesize by mistake. Now whilst at first it may seem a little bewildering to open on a description of this niche scientific term, it is actually the perfect metaphor for the contents found on the second EP from the brilliantly named, nine-piece psych-collective, Mandrake Handshake. 

Formed in Oxford, the group formally introduced themselves last year with their excellent debut EP, Shake The Hand That Feeds You, followed by a string of memorable festival performances over the post-COVID summer. As with a lot of bands coming out of lockdown, the thrill of performing live again inspired the band to start crafting new music, moving away from remotely working through their homemade demos to just playing live and improvising in a room together again. 

The song-structures built during those sessions have eventually become The Triple Point of Water, which for Mandrake Handshake is also a dynamic balance of the elements. Instead of water though, it’s the sweet spot between psych-rock, kraut-rock, funk and art-pop where vibrant, richly-textured and utterly mesmerising compositions are forged. They have dubbed this sound “Flowerkraut” and its unique splendour is what makes this new EP such a fascinating listen.

Recent single ‘Emonzaemon’ ushers the listener in with a buzz of robotronic sounds, that soon calibrate into some wonderful jittering riffs and melodic, bopping vocals. The deeper meaning lurking within the song itself is inspired by a ninja from Japanese Anime, Katanagatari, however the lyrical content feels secondary to the pleasing sonic aesthetics on display. This is a recurring theme throughout the EP in general, in the fact that if you didn’t know what any of the three songs are about, there’s still plenty to enjoy on a superficial level. 

‘Vitamin Sunday’ chills things down with some soft folky vocals and laidback dreamy guitars, drawing some comparisons to acts like The Big Moon or Nilufer Yanya as the group paint a picture of lonely London town. This also highlights another area where Mandrake Handshake deserve credit, which is the fact that although there is nine of them, their sound never feels too cluttered. Members will layer the hypnotic dimensions behind singer Trinity Oksana’s vocals, but they are also happy to step back if they are not required in certain moments too, to help give the song some tasteful subtlety.

Before you know it, the epic two-part finale of ‘Row’s Tinted Glasses // Diogo Jota’ arrives for what is the EP’s starring moment. Clocking in at just over nine minutes, it’s a vivid and intoxicating trip that pays homage to bands like Stereolab and Vanishing Twin - as well as their favourite Liverpool FC forward. It begins with a funky bassline and some distant, warped vocals just listing out the colours of the rainbow. Once Oksana’s vocals then re-emerge, it steadily builds before switching beat seamlessly around the 3:30 mark. At this point the listener can then ride the colourful wave through to the finish, with phonetic choruses surrounded by crashes of stampeding snare drums and mind-melting guitars.

Overall, this is quite the spellbinding second outing for Mandrake Handshake, who continue to prove they are one of the freshest and most exciting acts currently breaking through. The Triple Point of Water may only be a few new songs to tide fans over for now, but that’s just a good sign that they have learnt their most important lesson early on – always keep your listeners wanting more. 

The Triple Point of Water arrives Friday 18th November

Grab your copy of the Gigwise print magazine here.

More about: Mandrake Handshake