Sussex trio Meet Your Heroes stake their claim on the UK jazz-rock map with a debut EP that’s as witty as it is musically assured. Across five concise tracks, the group fuse swamp-funk grooves, angular math-rock turns and unfussy improvisation into a sound that feels both grounded and restless.
Formed in 2024, Rob Lamont (guitar), Rhys
Lovell (bass) and Pete Hill (drums) make a remarkably cohesive noise
for such a new outfit. Having already sold out their first Brighton headline
show and graced the New Generation Jazz stage at Love Supreme 2025,
the trio arrive with an enviable confidence that carries through the entire
record.
Opening cut Miami Slice sets the pace — taut,
sun-drenched and rhythmically sharp — before Muesli Mountain and Lentil
Landing tilt things toward more syncopated territory, full of elastic
basslines and quicksilver guitar interplay. Hummus Hollow, the EP’s
longest track, allows the trio to stretch and converse, opening up harmonic
space while keeping the pocket deep. Closer Bass Bunker drops into
darker terrain, its circular riff and cinematic undertow rounding things off
with satisfying weight.
There’s a knowing humour to the alliterative titles — Muesli
Mountain, Lentil Landing, Hummus Hollow, Bass Bunker —
but the playing itself is serious business. Lamont’s tone sits somewhere
between Wayne Krantz and John Scofield, full of clipped phrasing
and lyrical bite, while Lovell and Hill provide a tight yet flexible rhythmic
framework that recalls The Meters or Khruangbin. It’s a sound
that merges groove-first sensibilities with fusion-minded precision — complex
without ever losing its swagger.
Recorded at Third Circle Recordings in
Portslade (engineered by James Gasson, mixed by Lamont, mastered by Luke
May), the production captures the warmth of a live trio in full
conversation: crisp, uncluttered, and dynamically alive. The cover photo by Declan
Haughian and design by Andy Baker complement the group’s aesthetic
perfectly — minimal, self-aware, and quietly stylish.
What sets Meet Your Heroes apart is their
discipline. Where many fusion acts drift into indulgence, these five pieces are
tightly structured — rarely over four minutes — favouring groove and melodic
clarity over extended solos. It makes for an immediate, replayable listen that
bridges the gap between “heads” and casual groove fans alike.
If there’s room for evolution, it might lie in
stretching their ideas further — letting the improvisational spark breathe
across longer forms. But as a debut, this is a remarkably complete statement:
smart, warm, and full of character.
My Verdict: Meet Your Heroes is modern fusion without the fuss — inventive, groove-driven, accessible and refreshingly unpretentious. Glenn Wright
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