EP Review: T3ripple S6ix

Fatt Max returns with a three-track blast of raw, driving Southern-style blues – except this time the Delta he’s channeling runs straight through Auckland by way of London. The T3ripple S6ix EP feels like the soundtrack to every outlaw-soaked film you’ve ever loved: Tarantino grit, lone-wolf swagger, gun-smoke bravado, and that familiar question – who is this killer opening track by? This time, the answer is unmistakably Fatt Max.

Mark ‘Fatt Max’ Hill, originally from London and now firmly rooted in Auckland, has spent more than five decades steeped in the blues. A songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and performer, he’s long been a devoted student of the genre in all its forms. Through his production company, Stomping Hog Recordings, Hill continues to create, collaborate, and connect with musicians across New Zealand and around the world. His longevity shows not only in his playing, but in his instinctive ability to tap directly into the emotional core of the blues without ever feeling derivative.

Though only three songs long, T3ripple S6ix delivers everything you want from a blues record: gritty guitar tones, hypnotic and repetitive lyrical hooks, and a dusty, Delta-styled mouth harp that sounds like it’s been pulled from the bottom of a long-empty bottle. Fatt Max’s guitar work is especially evocative, conjuring echoes of the Alabama 3, Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and modern heavy blues staples such as The Black Keys, The Raconteurs, and Eagles of Death Metal. Haulin’, in particular, could slide comfortably into Jesse Hughes’ catalogue without missing a beat.

What makes this EP shine is its striking sense of familiarity – not in a recycled way, but in a comforting, lived-in way. It feels like something you’ve had on repeat for years, yet it lands perfectly in the present moment. Listening to it brings back the feeling of hearing The Rolling Stones for the first time, or the jolt of electricity from Jack White’s The Big Three Killed My Baby. It’s Detroit grit mixed with Delta soul, filtered through London attitude and seasoned with New Zealand character.

Released in May 2025, T3ripple S6ix is a short, sharp reminder of how timeless the blues can be – and why we still crave it.