Young Mammals: Curly hair, new album, short answers

By Omar Afra Album art by Eli Brumbaugh
I have been praying that the catastrophe that we know as 'Indie Rock' will die a miserable death soon. A death that is so inhumane and cruel that former purveyors of this abomination will hide in South America just as former Nazis did. I am bored and want a new 'messiah' to come along and shred the dominant paradigm into a pulpy mush as he presents us with a new musical narrative that is a confluence of masterful songwriting and impeccable musicianship. Problem: this scourge of indie-pop madness will continue to blight our world as long as bands like Young Mammals continue to write impressive songs and broaden the scope of their respective world. The band has just released a new album Carrots that is chock-full o' lush tunes and noodling crescendo which departs from many of the older canards of what this kind of music is today. Previously known as The Dimes, Young Mammals have established an impressive reputation for live shows and are super-faves to many in the expansive Houston indie scene. They were kind enough to answer a few of my questions both serious and silly. Unlike their songs, their answers are quick and concise. In fact, so short that I put ridiculous, smart ass editor’s notes in italics following their responses. Enjoy.



Tell me about the protocol you used in recording the new album? Pragmatic or dogmatic approach?


It's hard to define our approach. We tend to not take a certain approach to recording.


Liars.


In songwriting, do ya'll prefer a singular vision or is democracy paramount?


Definitely democracy. Everyone has an equal say in the creation of songs.


It is a no-no to allow the pleasantries of friendship to be paramount to songcraft.


Sonically, the soundscapes sound like a departure. Elaborate please.


We all really like texture and atmosphere. When we recorded the Ep we felt like we made a very raw sounding record. We didn't want to do that again on Carrots. So we spent a lot of time making sounds from guitars, organs, and other random noises that we felt were pretty neat.


That sounds like something a dork would say.


Who are some of your favorite Houston bands we may not know about?


Sings, Ghost Mountain, Ghormeh Sabzi, Robert Ellis, and Grandfather Child.


No joke, Robert Ellis is one fine ass piece of Americana.


Tell me one thing you love/hate about being a band in Houston?


We love the food. We hate the 5 o'clock traffic.


I said ‘about being a band’.


We love the videos Mark Armes has done for you. Anymore in the works?


We love Mark Armes too. We hope to have more videos in the near future.


Mark Armes hates you people.


What is next for the Young Mammals: Massive triumph or epic fail?


We're just being here now.


Yeah, I read Ram Dass’ masterpiece as well.


Who is more sexy: Fat Tony or Ryan Chavez?


-What's your angle?


What’s my angle? It is a simple question. Everyone knows Fat Tony is the sexiest man in Houston behind Robert Ellis. Chavez falls to a distant 8th. It was a trick question to see if you had any hold on objective reality or not. Clearly not!