Show tonight: MuteMath sheds self-doubt for 'Odd Soul'

Lansing Music: MuteMath plays the Loft tonight

Alternative rock band MuteMath went back to basics on their new album, “Odd Soul,” out Oct. 4. According to drummer Darren King, the New Orleans gentlemen needed to shed any self-doubt or worry and get back to making music that they, as a collective bunch, loved and felt was authentic.

“The first two records were made in a world of self doubt and worry, and I think there’s some good to all of that, in the fact we’ve never lied to ourselves,” he said, chatting a few hours before a gig in Greenville, S.C. “If it’s not sounding good, we’re willing to scrap an entire song, even if it’s finished. But, being too much that way can cause you to cross the line and loose your identity because of all the worry.”

MuteMath, who plays tonight at the Loft in Lansing, has little to worry about. The Grammy-nominated group has secured legions of followers thanks to their intricate pop-rock and rangy, experimental sound.

“Odd Soul,” sounds like the kind of album gelled by years of friendship. “We trust each, and we’ve been through thick and thin together, and I think that comes through on the record,” King said, referring to band members Paul Meany (vocals) and Roy Mitchell-Cardenas (bass and guitar).

The band eschewed the typical band-producer relationship when recording the album, instead isolating themselves to Meany’s home studio for months.

“We had amassed a lot of recording equipment over the years, and through the experience from past producers, we learned how to produce ourselves,” he said. “It’s tough to see yourself or see that something isn’t good, because if you think it’s cool, your ego is in there. But, we could tell each other, ‘I liked that,’ or ‘I didn’t like that,’ because we trust each other.

“It was tedious. February was the loneliest month of my life, because my wife was out on tour, and I was stuck in the studio. But, I knew that was a phase and the price I had to pay to do something I loved so much.”

Read more of the interview in this week's Lansing State Journal Local Music Beat.

See it: MuteMath on the “Odd Soul Introduction Tour,” doors 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, tickets $20 in advance and $23 at the door, available via Fusion Shows. 

Listen: Stream songs off MuteMath's latest album via their official website and iTunes.