Def Nettle slice through nostalgia with razor-sharp cut 'Mohawk'

Def Nettle return swinging on 'Mohawk', a track that feels like it’s been fermenting in the basement of a downtown club, waiting for the right moment to explode back onto the floor. After a period of relative quiet, the band reemerge sounding leaner, tighter, and gloriously self-aware; fusing wiry guitars with elastic rhythms and a wink that cuts as sharply as the riffs.

There’s a restless energy coursing through this release. The guitars jangle and stab in equal measure, recalling the brittle cool of The Cure and The Smiths, while the low end prowls with a danceable swagger that nods toward Joy Division without ever slipping into imitation. Instead of dwelling in reverence, Def Nettle twist their influences into something playful and pointed. The groove is undeniable with taut drums, rubbery bass, and angular fretwork locking together with a kinetic urgency that feels built for sweaty rooms and knowing smiles.

Vocally, the interplay between Glen Brady and Lisa Doyle-Taaffe gives the track its spark. Their back-and-forth delivery lands somewhere between sardonic commentary and mischievous provocation. Spoken lines brush up against rhythmic phrasing before erupting into hook-laden refrains that stick long after the final chord fades. It’s a dynamic exchange that mirrors the song’s central tension of affection for punk’s iconography colliding with a sharp critique of how easily it can be packaged and sold.

Lyrically, 'Mohawk' takes aim at the commodification of rebellion, skewering the way subculture aesthetics can become storefront window dressing. The band implicates themselves in the same cycle, creating a clever layer of meta-commentary that elevates the track beyond simple nostalgia-baiting.

What makes 'Mohawk' compelling is the conviction behind it. The rhythm section drives with purpose, the guitars shimmer and bite, and the chorus lands with irresistible punch. Def Nettle sound like a group fully comfortable in their skin; reverent of the past, but unwilling to be trapped by it.