MØL
“Jord”
Blackgaze
Holy Roar Records (2018)
Mixing the black hysteria, ambience and melody of the shoegaze genre, Møl bring the refreshment to the blackgaze movement that perhaps no one even noticed that it needed until “Jord” arrived.
One of the innumerable beauty of music is that it constantly changes, evolves, you never know in which direction it will go and where to take you. There are no borders, the possibilities are infinite. And as such, there is no end to its exploration. The beauty of the Internet is exactly that, there is nothing inaccessible, and if you use it for the right purposes, you can see, hear, find out a lot. Tracking 666 x 10 music magazines/portals/pages opens the door to the endless music world and when you see a link with the description on one of them, “For fans of Alcest, My Bloody Valentine, Defheaven” you must click on it. What you get is a disturbing mixture of such bands in just one. Their name is MØL, they come from Denmark, and they are ready to stand proudly alongside the biggest names of the blackened shoegaze movement with their debut “Jord”, and this is just the beginning.
If you have been questioned, translated from Danish Jord means soil or Planet Earth as a whole. Album theme is based on transience. Nothing is constant, everything changes, and we will all one day end up in that same soil. But the album does not carry a negative tone. Although it is a fact that we will all die indisputably, Møl is telling something else. Life is too short and you live it the way you want, enjoy everything that brings you pleasure and takes everything life has to offer. The title track, written in Danish, speaks about it, the thirst for life. Nothing we strive for, nothing we want to achieve or keep in life will not be achieved if we are obsessed with the ultimate destination – the earth.
This story Møl are telling in a maestral way, mixing the black hysteria, ambiance, and melody of the shoegaze genre, bringing the refreshment to the blackgaze movement that perhaps no one even noticed that it needed until “Jord” arrived. As a result, they delivered a debut that will show your teeth, but despite its aggression, it is extremely accessible to listen. So, if you are fan of great melodies, atmosphere and emotions, you are in the right place.
“Storm,” as its name suggests, announces a storm with sonic chaos, “Alcest like” atmosphere flies over maniacal vocals. “Penumbra”, my personal favorite, also the first single from the album, is about the changes and song structure perfectly follows the theme, which is constantly evolving through the song and not repeating itself to the very end. A quiet introduction on “Bruma” track might fool you for a moment, but it is the darkest song on the album, which is especially felt when it enters the raw black waters. “Vacuum” is probably the most aggressive and fastest song on the album based on powerful riffs and melodies while the instrumental “Lambda” is more gentle ode to the early days of the shoegaze movement. The album closes with the title track, whose brilliance and beautifully hysterical vocals round this story full of diversity in an ideal way.
Møl and the album “Jord” set up strong foundations and I hope that in the coming years we will be watching and listening to them along with some of the most famous names of the shoegaze genre. If nothing else, I can safely say for myself that I will keep an eye on this band and all that they have to offer. If it is to judge by this debut – that’s a lot.
Written by Jadranka Balaš
Track list:
01. Storm
02. Penumbra
03. Bruma
04. Vakuum
05. Lambda
06. Ligament
07. Virga
08. Jord
Mixing the black hysteria, ambience and melody of the shoegaze genre, Møl bring the refreshment to the blackgaze movement that perhaps no one even noticed that it needed until “Jord” arrived.
