On Under the Influence, The Mortal Prophets don’t simply cover songs—they dismantle them and rebuild them in their own image. Across five tracks, John Beckmann treats familiar material as raw architecture, stripping each piece down to its emotional framework before reshaping it with post-punk austerity, art-rock tension, and a distinctly cinematic darkness. The EP moves with intention and restraint, leaning into mood rather than nostalgia, and presenting these songs as if they’ve been pulled from a parallel timeline where romance, menace, and modernism coexist.
“Tiny Dancer” emerges transformed, its iconic warmth replaced with a shadowy, nocturnal pulse that feels intimate and unsettled rather than expansive. “Third Uncle” doubles down on nervous energy, channeling sharp angles and controlled chaos in a way that nods to its art-rock lineage while sounding unmistakably current. With “Sister Midnight,” the band leans into noir-like cool—brooding, minimal, and seductive—letting atmosphere do the heavy lifting. Each track resists excess, favoring tension and negative space over overt dramatics.
The EP closes with “Repetition” and “Too Many Creeps,” where The Mortal Prophets fully embrace confrontation and unease. “Repetition” lives up to its name, turning insistence into a hypnotic force, while “Too Many Creeps” crackles with paranoia and dark humor, feeling raw and eerily relevant. Taken as a whole, Under the Influence is a concise but powerful statement—an exploration of influence as interpretation rather than homage. It reinforces The Mortal Prophets’ reputation for fearless reinvention, proving that reverence doesn’t require imitation, only conviction.
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