Debut album from Mooses

Detroit’s Mooses is a band reimagining post punk with a daring, genre-breaking approach that frames pop stylings with polyrhythmic edge to deliver music that slips between moods, styles and tempos with flair and precision. Formed by Alex Brown, Andrew Zerbo and Andy Scott, Mooses took initial inspiration from pioneering groups like Sonic Youth and Talking Heads, as well as influences from video game composers like Koji Kondo and Takashi Tatseishi. What started as a minimalist project quickly expanded into a more ambitious sound, one defined by shifting time signatures, dynamic effects and a unique contrast between powerful vocals and assertive bass melodies. Adding the rich harmonies of Rob Louis to the line up, Mooses has forged out a sound that refuses to be boxed into any one genre or style.

First capturing their sound in the studio in 2017, the released their debut release “Pinwheel,” while playing a string of live shows around Detroit and dropping their debut eponymous EP in 2019. But it was the addition of percussionist J. Durrell Gibbs that saw the band open the next chapter in their exciting musical story, crystallised with their brand new debut full-length record, the self-titled fourteen-track album, Meeses.

This full-length album marks an evolution in the band’s sound, one that builds on the group’s grunge, post punk and progressive rock influences while jumping into new musical spheres. The record guides listeners through a range of sounds, from psychedelic beats and funk fusion to heavier post alternative rock elements, anchored by the band’s dark and enigmatic tone. Yet, each track ends with a surprising, sometimes whimsical twist, underscoring Mooses’ creative panache and skill at balancing contrasting themes.

Opened by “Broadcast (Off the Air),” the album starts off with splashing drums and atmospheric guitar layers capped by airy vocal leads, presenting a bold balance of moody guitar wails and intricate chiming tones. Gliding through rhythmic switch ups, intense stacks of instrumentation and playful flutters while the commanding vocal performance delivers memorable melodic leads above, resulting in a spectacular display of the depth of their creativity and incredible musicianship talent to kick off the release.

“Royal Blue” immediately shakes with powerful rhythmic grooves as a cacophony of crunching guitars and lively bass lines collide before the arrangement slips into a dreamy jazz-tinged art rock soundscape of shimmering guitars and dancing bass notes with smooth vocal lines. Shifting back into bursts of charging noise rock led by doses of expressive, belted vocal work, the track flows through a stunning scene of abrupt changes that keeps it engaging and surprising from start to finish.

With “Binary,” a fuzzy guitar line ushers in a bouncy rock jam where twinkling piano flourishes ride above the angular grit of guitars, shuffling drums and popping bass tones to deliver a catchy groove. In typical Mooses fashion, stark dives into spacey, psych-tinged landscapes see that track take multiple twists and turns to cast a mesmeric sound that’s at once energising and thoroughly original.

Other highlights on the album include tracks like “Azul” with its hazy blend of flickering bass lines and bright plinks of chimes, met with eruptions of charging guitar elements, crafting a sound that deftly bends between hypnotic quality and raucous rock energy. “Starring Downward” slows things down with the soft patter of percussion and gentle vocal style, gradually swelling with buzzing guitars and the rise of chugging rhythms to deliver a sensational avant-garde rock voyage that stretches for almost eight minutes of dynamic sonic range and distinct vibe shifts. Closing the record with “Owl,” breezy clean guitar rhythms are met with the soft snap of drums and rich vocal leads to create a power pop inflected rock odyssey that descends into an enveloping soundscape of spacey vocal layers, splashing cymbals and immersive guitar arrangement before the warbling textures in the finale provides an arresting conclusion to the band’s extraordinary debut album.

Listen to Mooses below