There must be something in the air in Manchester. With its vast melting pot of musical talent, the city has produced many big names over the years, along with countless cult acts. Formed in 1983, the genre bending post-punk band Inca Babies could be classed as such, but despite putting out four well received albums, and recording several radio sessions with legendary BBC broadcaster John Peel, they disappeared from public consciousness after disbanding in 1988.
After a compilation of their music on Cherry Red Records reignited interest in the group, in 2007 the Inca Babies rose from the ashes, reforming with original members Harry Stafford (vocals, guitar) and Bill Martin (bass), along with new recruit Rob Haynes (drums). Sadly, Martin passed away in 2008 during the writing of new material, but Stafford and Haynes elected to continue. Fast forward sixteen years, and with Jim Adama currently on bass duties, the band are set to unleash their ninth studio album. Released on the their own label Black Lagoon Records, Ghost Mechanic Nine features nine blazing tracks that see the band return to their eighties-era post punk/death rock roots, while also dabbling in dub and other contemporary influences.
We kick off the ride with title track ‘Ghost Mechanic 9’, a midnight drive through the deep south that gets one suitably revved up for what’s to come. Stafford’s snarled vocals fuel the track, while the addition of spiralling static and rolling riffs see the song kitted out with all the finest parts.
Quirky, narrative lyricism proves to be a hallmark throughout the album. ‘Insect Symphony’ utilises an antsy analogy with a seventies rock sound to recount the fate of the many bands that, despite crawling amongst the music scene and adding to its vast cultural influence, were eventually forced to transform and fly away. Thankfully, there seems to be an uptick in such acts returning to infest our ears once again, the Inca Babies themselves being one of them.
The fiery tale of pyromaniac ‘Augustus Tympan’ is backed by a burning haze of smoky sounds, while ‘I’m Stayin’ Put’ addresses the agony of approaching Armageddon. “I’m safe and warm in my concrete box” Stafford howls, bringing to mind the isolation imposed by COVID lockdowns and persistent political turmoil. Kevin G Davy pops his head in to provide some electrified trumpet throughout the track, further adding to the collation of chaos.
Our first dip into dub, ‘The Exhaust of Broken Dreams’ addresses the heavy subject of the struggles of political and environmental uncertainty, all while sounding like it could’ve been a one-off eighties chart hit. Lead single ‘Spacewalk’ is a lot more substantial however: an intergalactic bop beamed in from outer space, riding on a rockabilly riff. Keeping up the pace, ‘Mercury Is Down’ dives into a tide of upbeat surf rock, while ‘Deck’ melds Moog magic with swelling waves of bass.
Wrapping up the record is ‘Opium Dub’, an energetic extended dub version of old school fan favourite ‘Opium Den’, remixed by album producer Simon ‘Ding’ Arthur. It’s an engaging listen, but comes across as a little left field, and with the other eight tracks zooming by in a flash, it feels like perhaps like the album could’ve done with being fleshed out with one or two more new tracks.
That’s not to appreciate the wonderful cross-genre journey of raw, driving sounds we did get, however. Ghost Mechanic Nine proves that, more than forty years on from their original incarnation, the Inca Babies are keen to continue developing their approach to songwriting, rather than simply hitching a ride off the back of their old material.
Ghost Mechanic Nine is out now via Black Lagoon Records.
