Muzzle: Unmasked

Muzzle's formation was far from conventional. A mix of accidental house show encounters, voices mysteriously floating through dorm vents, and practice room jam sessions would eventually lead to four student musicians coming together during their second semester at Berklee College of Music to form a colorful shoegaze ensemble. 

On his first day in Boston, Izzy Davis, the band's drummer, found himself in a practice room with the people he would eventually call his bandmates– Devyn Travers and Jack Rooks, who alternate on guitar and vocals. "There's a bunch of people that I'm really close friends with now that were in that room," Davis remembers. "Immediately, I was definitely drawn to Jack's playing. We just got along well." Soon, three became four; Mason Anliker, Muzzle's bassist, later became friends with Davis at a house show, being impressed by and drawn to his drumming. Later in the semester, the group found themselves in Anliker's room, playing music together in classic Berklee fashion. Rooks pulled Travers to the side that night, urging them to listen to and record a guitar riff. This would be the jumping-off point for the group. After months of jamming together and experimenting with sounds, the group would finally converge in the second semester and start creating music as a band. 

Muzzle is a new presence in the Boston music scene, only having played a handful of shows since returning to the city after summer break. Despite this, their talent is evident, and they're growing more skilled both as a group and individually. The foursome is unique in that several band members play instruments they would not usually play. Travers says, "Pretty much all of us are doing things that aren't our thing, but we're doing it to make the music work. I think we're all doing a pretty good job of that." 

For instance, Anliker's primary instrument is drums, but he learned bass for the sake of Muzzle. Rooks is a bass principal at the College of Music, yet he serves as Muzzle’s guitar player. Travers would not have originally labeled themselves a singer, but they manage to deliver incredible vocals for the band. Rooks believes, "It's more about knowing music than knowing the instrument." Through Muzzle, each individual bandmate has been able to develop their skills as musicians. Davis highlights, "You [Mason] couldn't play bass a couple years ago, and now you're kicking ass. I wasn't producing at the rate I am right now. And now I am, and I'm learning like a shit ton every day [...] It's just getting better at a scary rate." 

Muzzle’s development has been successful because of their improvement as musicians and their natural bond with each other. "Chemistry isn't even something that we ever have thought about," says Davis, "we're all just best friends." So much vulnerability comes with sharing songs you write with others, and Muzzle has found that their friendship makes collaborating significantly easier. "It's so much more natural to show new music to people that you trust," says Travers. Creating with people you feel close to adds an extra layer of security to creative decision-making. Anliker emphasizes this: "I started playing the bass for [Muzzle]; I just do what they tell me, and then go off that because they're usually right." 

The mutual trust shared by those in Muzzle has led to the bandmates finding inspiration in each other’s work. Travers says, "Every time [Jack] shows a new song, it informs the next song I want to show." The goal is to build off each other's writing, not try to one-up the other person. Rooks expands, "When I hear a crazy song that you [Devyn] write, I want to write something that's worthy of that. You know what I'm saying? That cycle just kind of keeps going. Trying to match the energy of it." The members of Muzzle are not just a group of musicians; they're also fans. Anliker feels, "Every song they show is like the coolest song I've ever heard, and so I feel like a lot of the time, I'm just a fan of the band that's just playing the songs." He adds, "It really is just about the four of us together, like in this one thing. So for me, I just believe in the music, like the collective whole a lot [...] I don't know, it's just cool."

Muzzle's debut album, 87 Gutterball, was released this past Thursday. Though it features three of their previously released songs, the album adds a new dimension to the music they’ve released before. Davis, who, on top of being their drummer, is the band's producer, says, "There's no hiding it when you have a shitty recording, and you try to fix it by, you know, just dumping effects onto it. You can hear it. You can feel that it's not well done." The band opted to spend more time recording and working with each song individually. "Everyone's got the sound that they want," says Davis. "And I get to decide how it will get mic'd up. And, the more time we spend recording and getting the sounds live, like producing those sounds in a real-life setting before it goes into my computer, the better." 

While recording 87 Gutterball, the band decided to tone down the heavy post-production featured in some of their previous work. Rooks says, “That was a lesson we learned, taking time to get tones before you hit record versus trying to do a lot of things in post. And I think that, on the album, it has made a huge difference.” The rawer, more stripped-down sound of 87 Gutterball has improved Muzzle’s live performances. "There isn't really anything that happens on the album that we don't do live," says Travers, "There's nothing about it that's in the computer to stay." With the absence of heavy post-production, the band can add more layers to their live performances that keep them fresh and exciting. "Now, when we play live, it just sounds like the album, but with more energy and different tempos, and it's all over the place,” adds Davis, “It's just human." 

To experience the magic, stream 87 Gutterball on Apple Music or Spotify and be sure to check out our photoshoot with Muzzle here.

All photos and videos by Grace Abdayem.