Album review: DIY act Mulch Cult released their eclectic new EP Bulch

Austin outlaw, punk rock outfit Mulch Cult has released their eclectic new EP Bulch!. The latest release comes after their 2023 LP Gulch, released with the underground Austin DIY scene’s acclaim last year. For this new release, Mulch Cult takes a step forward, delivering three new tracks that turn the page for what’s next for the band.

The group is composed of guitarist/vocalist Mennie Du’Kempt, bassist Igor Suzoynkavitch, drummer/vocalist Kero Rew, and baritone guitarist, Dunk Juncus. Since forming circa 2021 and releasing a collection of phone recordings penned by songwriting team Du’Kempt and Rew, the pair has since rounded out Mulch Cult into a complete ensemble. The gigs in Austin have kept coming, whether it’s a club in the downtown area or a DIY space that allows for more of their bizarre yet relentlessly fun musical rituals. If audiences were wondering, yes, the central songwriting pair are landscaping professionals by trade.

“We just like the word Mulch. If we opened our own venue, it would be called the “Mulch Gulch.” We don’t have any set members. We’re set on Mulch Cult being a collective. Anyone can join, and anyone can collaborate. It’s about creating a cult following that will love your stuff and keep coming back,” Du’Kempt explains. The group’s origins stretch back to their youth at house shows that display mass chaos, usually including bonfires during the band’s sets. 

“We were just friends in high school, and things kept getting more involved. We started playing as a trio with Rew’s cousin, who lived out of state then.” The group’s first collection of songs, Collective Sessions vol. 1, was a body of music conceived and recorded over a long time, and much has changed for the DIY Austin act since the release of their first collection of material. Austin-based producer Jason Morales recorded Mulch Cult’s second record near local backyard bar/coffee joint Double Trouble, where the band pitched this sit-down interview. 

“That first record is all phone recordings. There’s a huge difference in the sonic quality and song structure over our time as a band. I think our best is still yet to come,” Du’Kempt asserts. The collection of recordings can only be found on Bandcamp, far away from streaming services. 

Mulch Cult is built off the creative work of Mennie Du’Kempt and Kero Rew. Their songwriting process stems from their friendship, and their music is a culmination of spur-of-the-moment prowess. On “Track Back,” the listener is greeted with a twangy guitar lick that carries the track with a Grateful Dead-like, noodling guitar vibe. The dual vocal delivery employed by Rew & Du’Kempt is a backwoods joy. This new EP is produced by a figure the pair identify as “Scottish Buzzcut.” The duo explained that the recent release was meant to be a full LP, but circumstances out of their control made it the 1-2-3 track punch final product. When asked what the holdup was, the pair had a story. 

“He wouldn’t give us the tracks, so we collected debris and other shit from a day’s worth of work and dumped it on his front lawn. The roommate came out and confronted us, but it worked out when he realized why we were there. We got the tracks a few days later,” Du’Kempt recounts. Despite the setback, the project arrived. The last track on the EP, “Texas Twister,” continues the jittery Bluegrass style, featuring a bombastic drum solo from Rew as the guitar joins in once more to send it all home.

Mulch Cult also had the opportunity to have a drink of the month at Double Trouble named after the closing track, Texas Twister. With a recipe of vodka, lemonade, sweet Tea, and crushed cinnamon to complete the mulch theme, a boozy stream of rock and roll on a 100-degree day is sure to be had.

When asked what’s next for Mulch Cult, they have big plans. “We’re going into the studio in a few days. We have two albums ready to go for this year. We have all of these songs ready to record. I push everyone to memorize shit and play it at our shows. I don’t care if we haven’t practiced some tunes while playing them live.” Du’Kempt says. When expanding on their unorthodox work ethic, Rew and Du’Kempt state that while the days in their current profession can be harrowing, especially in the blazing, Austin Summer heat, the pitfalls turn into musical creativity. “We played this show at Empire Garage & Control Room on a day we worked. The sun is brutal sometimes.” 

For Mulch Cult, the eclecticism is off the charts. When they’re pinging around ideas, things get tweaked until they’re every members’ creation. They like to collaborate and keep their widespread trajectory an upswinging reality, and the tunes are going to keep coming, the pair promise. 

Listen to Bulch!:

Live band photos were taken by Ava Snoozy. Bulch pic was taken by Nicole Carre

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