Guy MontagNamed after the protagonist from the novel Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag, are a post-rock trio from County Clare. Formed from the ashes of other bands, (Ian Malone was drummer in the acclaimed C!ties), they’ve just released a debut EP, ‘We Lost Our Singer In Oman’.

It must be some kind of unwritten or unspoken challenge for post rock instrumental bands  to have as wild a song title as possible, but it’s one Guy Montag are not going to shirk. My Ears Are Warm is a commendable effort, but the award for most confounding inventive title goes to I Have a Cigar, I Know What I’m Talking About. Top that, Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

Musically, Gug Montag bring enough freshness to invest your time listening to this EP. The key is the constantly shifting dynamics and evolving song structure. Nothing hangs around too long on any specific riff or rhythm to get stale. Tetris Champion throws down cascading guitar that gleefully switches pace with abandon. Like a successful game of Tetris, each element of the song neatly slots into place, yet doesn’t collapse in a mess at the end.

The title track, We Lost Our Singer In Oman, opens frantically with head nodding funky bass line and metronomic drumming. The rhythm section sets a solid base for Alan Rooney to weave intricate electric guitar patterns that stay well clear of the standard post-rock structure of slowly building to a crescendo.

Across songs like Boketto or Huxley, Guy Montag are unafraid to throw in effects or loops. Rather than be restricted to the confines of what they can accomplish as a bog standard three-piece post-rock outfit, Guy Montag display an expansive palette of sound. Across the ‘We Lost Our Singer In Oman’ EP Guy Montag consistently defy expectations of what they can achieve and it looks good for their future.