If you’re weary, feeling small, if tears are in your eyes, do yourself a favor and press play on the debut EP from the Melbourne-based funk collective known as Mondo Freaks. Bells Are Ringing is, in short, an inducer of good times and happy feet. It turns every room it’s played in into a hip discotheque populated by you, your friends, loved ones and, depending on which way one leans, cat(s) or dog(s). It’ll ignite your groove thing, guaranteed.
“Bells Are Ringing,” which has been out for a while now, is a delectable dose of retro funk and disco, conjuring the days when propulsive beats from Chic, Sister Sledge, Melba Moore and Evelyn “Champagne” King populated the airwaves, turntables and dance floors. The Harvey Sutherland Dub remix injects a bit of spaciness into the soiree while stripping out 99.9 percent of the vocals, while his vocal remix maintains the same feel while retaining the vocal chorale of Jade McRae, Susie Goble, Francisco Tavares, Aaron Mendoza and Jason Heerah.
The rhythms are supplied by bassist Luke Hodgson and drummer Graeme Pogson, aka the group’s Nile Rodgers and Bernie Edwards. They formed Mondo Freaks as a throwback band in the 2010s and, life being the delight that it is, soon found themselves accompanying Black Ivory’s Leroy Burgess and Evelyn “Champagne” King on their Australian tours.
The other track here, “Find a Way,” is another dance-floor delight. It’s a propulsive dose of optimism that, in a better world, would propel up the pop charts the world over. It couples boogie, oogie and oogie with a spot-on analysis of how the powers-that-be employ smoke and mirrors to distract from the tumult of daily life. “Love is what we’re fighting for,” sings Jade McCrae, who handles the infectious lead vocals.
The EP is due out at the end of March. (For those in the U.S. who want the vinyl version, order the UK release—shipping costs are a lot less!) It’s a taste of honey, to be sure, but let’s hope it’s also a preview of a full-length platter.
The Old Grey Cat 
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