“Press Start” is a tune that features both musicians soloing chops, with Gingrich stretching out for a well spoken and technically impressive drum solo. “Boss Fight” jumps in right after that creating a soundscape fit to take down Bowser and save the Princess. While Baby Bowser may be disappointed with his father, the listener definitely won’t be disappointed with the composition.
What makes “Boss Fight” stand out is a funk groove that kicks in about a minute into the song that shows a groove feel that gets the head bobbing. That is a feature also prominent of “The Wicked Man Who Hailed From The Desert.” The back beat is funky and rocking and the song stands out as having a little more edge with moments that have the feel of the popular Cory Henry solo from the Snarky Puppy album “Lingus.”
While it’s easy to see all this music as a backing track for a video game, it’s also easy to see this music being mind blowing to watch in a live performance. While the overall sound would place this album in a video game specific category, there are elements of this record that could be classified as jazz, rock, funk, electronic and badass (if badass is a genre).
Comparisons could be drawn to the work of Louis Cole and Thundercat. For any musician with a mind for theory, this is a must listen to album. For anyone that just enjoys complex, fun, technical music with a strong pocket and a beautiful melodic sense, “Origin Story” by Button Masher is now available on all digital platforms.