The Mantles

This San Fran foursome creates a
spellbinding whirr of reverb-soaked psych sound, with disparate '80s
influences that range from Kiwi rock to the era's garage revival. Their
lo-fi drone-pop is hypnotic — it draws you in much like Kaa, the mighty
python from Disney's The Jungle Book, does when he gazes into
your eyes before attempting the kill. The trance-inducing buzz of the
Mantles permeates through your pores, keeping you hooked. But make sure
you remember to break the spell — otherwise, you'll slip into the
mighty jaws of the predator. (Broder van Dyke)

by Byron Coley in his "Size Matters" column in The Wire:

THE MANTLES "Burden" Dulc-i-Tone 7"
"The Mantles are a San Francisco pop trio with a slightly vague and very interesting sound. What they create is a vibe somewhere betwen the crisp gauze of Midwest groups associated with the early 80s garage revival (Vertebrats, Plasticland, etc) and the mysto-stroke of late 80s New Zealand. The join isn't absolutely smooth, but it's cool and appreciable, and I'm sure this disc would appeal to any fan of either style."

December 12th, by Kimberly Chun

What's on your Mantles, San Francisco's unsung pink and blue little stars twinkling almost imperceptibly in our fair city's formidable psych-pop firmament? The first time I saw them, they blew all the crusty old candlesticks and forgotten family photos off my musty tabletop with a hypnotic yet somehow ebullient drone pop redolent of the Clean and other much-revered Kiwi rockers. And it sounds like they're still that swell, judging from their new hand-silk-screen-covered debut 7-inch on SF's Dulc-i-Tone label. The self-titled EP includes such future teen hits as "Burden," "Walk with Me," and "Trouble in the Streets," and it's a lo-fi testament to the power of gentle jangle and buck-naked garage pop. As Web zine Dusted put it, "When the Mantles play trebly, manicured garage-psych downers, they're able to pay indirect but recognizable homage to dour British goth and darker rock bands. The combination of these styles is really killer, too, as the reverb-soaked, mannered songs drip with acid-tainted distress.... Great band, great sound, great single." Totally, dustoid. The Mantles have swept through some subtle lineup changes — including the addition of now-almost-permanent guitarist Drew Cramer, last seen skulking with the Lucksmiths, Mosquitoes, and Still Flyin' — but that still can't stop this fuzz-toned foursome, armed with a janky karaoke machine salvaged from the street and perhaps even a secret love of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Betcha you'll be wondering what they'll be up to next; they've been recording under the highly pop-conscious tutelage of the Papercuts' Jason Quever.