Southern Maryland Americana-rock duo Mattock return with “Lil’ Busted Fox,” a single released on April 27, 2026, from their upcoming album Daughters. Formed in 2022 by longtime collaborators Casey Brandt and Jason Fletcher, Mattock carries a lot of road dust in its sound. Brandt brings experience from New York City’s early-2000s club circuit, including stages like CBGB and The Continental with Satirius Johnson, while Fletcher comes from the DMV scene, having played with Mr. Blowfish, Anomic, and Slowburn Shift.
“Lil’ Busted Fox” opens with thumping beats that immediately kick the door open, while bustling cymbals splash around the edges like sparks flying off loose wires. Jangly, strumming guitars jump into the mix, creating a whole party of clashing instrumentals that somehow hold together with rough-edged charm. It is messy in the best way, full of movement, sweat, and personality.
Then the engaging and direct vocal cuts through, giving the track its human centre. The singer rides the chaos with a knowing confidence, as if telling a story from the corner of a noisy bar.
The pair first crossed paths musically in 2011 with Crystal Brandt & The River, then reconnected during the pandemic and started building something new from old instincts. Their 2024 debut, Songs About Birds, introduced a band drawn to raw storytelling, rootsy textures, and arrangements that do not sit still for too long. Now, with Daughters on the horizon, “Lil’ Busted Fox” feels like another step into their scrappy, genre-blurring world, where folk rock, indie grit, punk nerve, and classic rock bones all share the same crowded room.
So, yeah, “Lil’ Busted Fox” has bite, bounce, and plenty of backwoods swagger. It sounds busted, brave, and very much alive. Stay tuned for their upcoming album, Daughters, coming out this Summer.
STAY IN TOUCH:
SPOTIFY | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
Review by: Naomi Joan