LIVE REVIEW: "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" mixtape launch
Honestly, if I go to a gig and instantly see some of my favourite local musicians gathered within seconds of getting through the door, I know I’m in for a good night.
It almost seemed as if every West Aussie was at Mojos for Butter, one of Perth’s finest emerging alt-hop/neo-soul outfits. SUPEREGO’s (fka POW! Negro) Nelson, Carla Geneve, a butt tonne of the Demon Day’s ensemble round up the great line up for the night. Even without counting the musos, I was bumping into mates at every corner. Every time a conversation was stuck, the first words were always “How pumped are you for Butter dude?”. Whenever I went outside I was overwhelmed by conversation, praising Butter’s debut mixtape (of which this was the launch show for), “I Can’t Believe it’s not Butter”.
I caught up with Butter front-man Lachlan before the show for a quick chat. It was obvious how excited he was to finally have the mixtape out. While talking to him about my favourite track off the mixtape, “KABLAM!”, he let it slip that they had only just finished recording its vocals two days prior to the release.
It was pretty amazing hearing how rushed some of the mixtape's production was. Listening to each track off the EP it’s difficult to imagine the band not going through each song, taking their time to perfect every second of it.
However, to the rest of the band's credit, Lachlan had been given the perfect set of beats to sing over. From the beautiful, perfect for late night driving, “Born for You”, which is arguably the smoothest track on the EP (Mainly thanks to Will. Whose main goal both in-studio and live, is to get you dancing to what might be my favourite Trumpet in WA), Or “Make it Home (Homie)”, where every instrument perfectly compliments one-another to create the catchiest beat on the mixtape.
I honestly haven’t heard any beats more well-crafted than those on “I Can’t Believe it’s not Butter” in a fair while. Each song takes you somewhere new when you listen to it. Sometimes this EP makes me want to go surfing, or skate alongside the coast in Cottesloe. Other times I listen to the EP and all I want to do is hang out with mates and have a good night.
After hearing about how rushed some of the tracks were, I can’t help but laugh whenever I listen to songs like “KABLAM!”. It gets me ridiculously excited to see what Butter do next. Because if this is what they can put up while rushing themselves, I can’t begin to imagine what they’d put out without the time-limit.
Their live performance though, did not feel half-baked in any shape or form. While the gig felt too short, it wasn’t due to a lack of showmanship. I found myself getting lost in each song, getting brought back to reality by the sound of thunderous applause. And if I’m being honest, I don’t completely remember everything that happened that night. Not because I had too much to drink, or because I’m a forgetful person. It’s just that there’s something hypnotic about the way Butter sound. I find it nearly impossible to fight the urge to close my eyes and dance whenever I watch these guys perform, and I definitely didn’t put up much of a fight this show.
All in all, Butter took me on a journey through the dairy-filled wonderland that is their debut mixtape. Featuring some of the funkiest tunes you can find, including the first ever guest feature from one of Perth’s most exciting musicians, Jamilla.
If you have the chance to see Butter perform, do it. Even if you’re a vegan, it’s definitely worth the cheat day.
