Motihari Brigade - Problematic

​Motihari Brigade

Problematic
self-released; 2026

By Jamie Funk
​

Classic rock once offered a language for distrusting authority, but that language has since become familiar enough to sell luxury cars and prescription drugs. Motihari Brigade understands the irony. On Problematic, the band uses the vocabulary of 1970s rock, funk, pop, disco, and extended jams to question a culture governed by algorithms, propaganda, artificial intelligence, and manufactured consensus. The music looks backward while Eric Winston’s lyrics remain preoccupied with the machinery gathering around us now.

The band describes its sound as “Rock-n-Roll Thoughtcrime,” drawing from Orwell, Aldous Huxley, and Socrates without turning the album into a reading list. Winston, the group’s guitarist, singer, and songwriter, writes with enough humor to offset the heavier ideas. Problematic wants its audience to resist easy answers, but it also acknowledges the absurdity of criticizing technological control through the digital platforms responsible for distributing the record. Motihari Brigade does not resolve that contradiction. The band operates directly inside it.

The brief “Cowboy Armageddon” serves as an introduction before the title track establishes the album’s musical center. “Problematic” reminded me of a very specific Led Zeppelin song, particularly in its smooth, circular groove. This is classic rock 101, delivered with an obvious affection for the form. “Chatbot Don’t Like It” shifts into 1970s funk, complete with a robotic voice that makes the song’s technological satire explicit. “Save Ourselves” returns to heavier classic rock, supported by the loose interplay of a jam band.

“Not What They Seem” is another strong rhythmic performance, and I especially liked the bongos and the melodic details surrounding them. As the album continued, I found a number of high points. The nearly 10-minute “Heedless of the Storm” gives the musicians room to stretch out, with the drumming providing much of its momentum. The length is purposeful, allowing the band to develop the track through performance instead of forcing it into a tighter structure.

​“Pleasure Craft” was my favorite song on the album. It is catchy, playful, and buoyant, moving away from the record’s heavier rock foundation toward 1970s pop and disco. That change in direction brings welcome color to the tracklist. “Someone’s Dream,” by contrast, recalls the comfort of an old ballad, built from recognizable gestures and melodies that quickly settle into place.

​Problematic is primarily a classic-rock record, though Motihari Brigade makes productive excursions into funk, jam music, pop, and disco. Its influences are overt, and each song declares its genre without much ambiguity. The production also favors period-specific textures, giving the album the character of a record assembled from a well-loved collection of 1970s LPs. Listeners drawn to that era should find plenty here to enjoy, along with a pointed reminder that yesterday’s sounds can still carry questions about the present.

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