The Butterfly Effect
Crashing in through the front door, unannounced, feet on the coffee table, no pleasantries here folks is Reading outfit Marisa And The Moths, a veritable new- born in this game and by golly do they pack a punch. It’s straight in with a sound that would fit nicely on an L7 record.
Track two is ‘How Did You Get So Weak?’ and with clever dialogue like ‘ so put the words in my mouth before the voices speak’ it marks a psychologically acute awareness of human relationships. The vocal harmonies at 2.36 lead to a soaring and searing riff that launches you skywards.
The lead single from this debut is ‘Skin’, brash and bold, colourful and crafty with cheeky grungy vibes now and then, and I quite like the video here, obviously it’s been done before but seeing a new band re-invent an aspect it’s quite engaging.
With ‘Choke’ I get a little Tonight Alive/Devilskin even, it’s heartening to see how bands influence each other and then create a sound that is familiar yet distinctive. The defeatist tone of ‘I can’t help myself, I’m just not able’ will resonate with many of us as we struggle to cope with our lives. We arrive at power ballad central with ‘Tied Up’ and it’s time to chill and reflect before powering on with our friends who are rock steady and ready to tear down the walls. With ‘Turn Off’ there is a slower, stealthier approach, still bearing that grunge vibe but creeping up behind you, ready to pounce. A bar room brawl style riff reminds us that we are ‘Human’ and for all our sakes we need to ‘move on to better things’, taken from ‘Baby Goodnight’.
The band are in contemplative mood with album closer ‘Everything Is Going Swimmingly’ maybe signalling the start of a new chapter, where indeed we can hope for some peace after all the madness.
Overall this is radio rock for the masses, a little crispy around the edges, and there’s always room for a little down ‘n dirty.
Get ready for some Moth ‘N Roll my friends!
Marisa And The Moths – self titled debut album out now.