Mock Media’s restless approach has deep roots. Its four members grew up together in British Columbia’s North Okanagan Valley surrounded by instruments, strange music and the vast outdoor spaces that fueled their imaginations. And while their surroundings may have been geographically isolated, their musical schooling was anything but. On their third LP, Rat Bastard (Mac’s), Mock Media romps through roots, punk, dub, baile funk, Afrobeat Eurodance and heavy metal with the almost unnerving confidence of a band that truly sees no meaningful distinction between genres. Mock Media may speak of channeling a higher power, but its most dependable source of transcendence remains the uncanny chemistry among its members.
MAGNET’s Hobart Rowland recently peppered Mock Media singer/guitarist Evan Aasen with five questions—and he responded in kind.
How did you bring cohesion to all the influences flying around on Rat Bastard?
It’s just all music we like to listen to—and it’s also fun and challenging to make. I think it’s cohesive because we’re the ones who created it. Our hands, our voices.
You’ve said that you don’t consider this LP radically different from your earlier work, even though it feels remarkably expansive. What has remained constant amid all the stylistic detours?
I think what’s remained constant is our ambitiousness. We often think beyond the capabilities of our musicianship, equipment and budget—for better or worse.
“Built For Speed” leans unapologetically into classic heavy metal. Was it difficult embracing that side of yourselves without irony?
Never apologize. It felt good screaming.
Growing up in British Columbia’s North Okanagan Valley is central to the band’s identity. How has that landscape shaped Mock Media’s sound?
We always had lots of instruments around and people who liked freaky music. It bled into our minds. We also spent a lot of time outside.
Your music seems to favor collective energy over individual performance. Is ego something you’ve consciously tried to remove from the band?
It wasn’t conscious. Everything’s been natural. Individual performance can’t harness the same energy. We love to rock.
