Moskitos have marked their triumphant return with a highly anticipated debut album, MIRAGE, released via The Good Times Co. The Cape Town-based three-piece channels a visceral blend of garage rock grit and mind-bending psychedelia. Loosely conceptually inspired by Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, MIRAGE challenges listeners to question their perception of reality, pushing them to peel away layers of assumption, ego, and societal influence. At its core, the album asks: What’s real? And what’s merely a distorted reflection of the truth?

From the tension building 'Umbra' reaching a thunderous fuzz-propelled zenith with untamed saxophone phrases, to the contemplative echoes of 'Nothing' that fade into a wall of white noise, Moskitos take you on a raw, immersive sonic journey. The band’s sound—drawing on the frenetic energy of Thee Oh Sees, the fuzzed-out tones of Ty Segall, and the hypnotic pulse of The Black Angels—finds its most unfiltered form here. The band meaningfully abandons the polish and clean edges of earlier releases. Instead, MIRAGE embraces the raw, old-school garage rock spirit, recorded live in the studio and soaked in fuzz, reverb, and the unpredictable energy of a band at the peak of their powers. The band's vocalist and guitarist, Pete Labuschagne, recalls “We wanted to capture the magic volatility and magnetic energy of playing new songs live without overthinking anything, so we dove in on the deep side and ended up recording the entire album within two or three days”.

Recorded and mixed by Cape Town psych-rock scene legend Warren Fisher, the album captures the raw, unfiltered energy that has become Moskitos' trademark. Whether it’s the hypnotic duality of 'Woman' or the heavy-hitting introspection of 'Ten Lies,' each song feels like its own universe. A moment of revelation—a step closer to truth, but not without a fight. Each track on MIRAGE contributes to this thematic exploration. 'Outta My Head' races with feverish intensity, as the band navigates the murky waters of self-confrontation, while the groove-laden 'Believer' dares listeners to challenge their beliefs with its infectious hooks and polyrhythmic textures. 'Two Birds' slams into overdrive with driving garage rock riffs, an epic escalating bridge section, and existential reflection, a perfect encapsulation of Moskitos’ penchant for pairing sonic aggression with lyrical depth.

The album art, stark and striking in its use of black, white, and searing red-orange, mirrors this tension between reality and illusion. A lone figure dives into the unknown, while their distorted reflection ripples across the surface—an unsettling reminder that what we see may not always be what is.

MIRAGE is a heady collision of sound. It’s an album for those who dare to question what they think they know, delivered by a band on the cusp of psych-rock greatness. Dive in deep, if you dare.

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