Artist: Mosley Bar
EP Title: Another Record Sleeve
Release Date: 18th April 2016

 

Hailing from nearby Liverpool, indie rock quartet Mosley Bar are currently readying themselves for the release of their debut EP “Another Record Sleeve”. The band members are aged between 17 and 20, though despite their young ages they are already proving that they have the musical prowess of a much older band. According to their Facebook, they have been described as “A band well versed in the art of mainstream indie pop/rock but their intricately layered tracks have got an individualism that sets their sound apart, giving them an identity all of their own.” “Another Record Sleeve” is due for release on 18^th April and contains their debut single “Record Sleeve” along with three brand new tracks.

Mosely Bar dropped “Record Sleeve” back in October 2015, which must have surely had fans chomping at the bit for new material. It opens with some lightly strummed clean guitar chords, which begin to give off a slight late-90’s emo-rock vibe before the rest of the band abruptly join in to create a powerful wall of sound backed up with a brilliantly catchy pop song with one foot in the in the indie-rock scene. Matthew Wright’s drumming seems to be indispensable to Mosely Bar’s sound, providing a tight groove to the songs whilst still finding the space for compressed-yet-effective fills and the production and mixing perfectly suits the song dynamics and rhythm-changes.

The opening track and second single “Risk” immediately introduces the EP with a thunderous drum-beat before being permeated by Adam Eccleston’s lead guitar, which – much like the drums – manages to find a perfect balance between complexity and subtlety. Ryan Ward’s vocals are also very well refined and definitely help Mosley Bar in painting their sound with unique colours, sitting mainly in the tenor register. If you were to combine Matthew Murphy’s indie-croon with Brian Molko’s disgusted sneer, you’d only be a little bit closer to describing Ryan Ward’s vocal style.  The chorus of this track is also incredibly catchy and feels like it could be a real fist-pumper for festival goers this summer.

The third track “Rendezvous” features ethereal guitars over shuffling drums which build to another fantastic chorus which itself builds in intensity as it goes on. Bass player Tim Williams really drives this song forward with some lovely octave-jumps during the chorus which gives this section a nice danceable groove while still holding onto the urgency that the music is trying to convey. It’s truly refreshing to see a band with such well-rounded musicianship, especially such a band as young as Mosley Bar.

The closing track “The World And I” conveys the indie-rock bands of the mid-2000’s more than any of the other the tracks on the EP. It’s walking lead guitar line and furiously strummed acoustic guitars remind me of bands such as Air Traffic and The Kooks and therefore it stands out as the most familiar-sounding tracks on this release. It’s a bold move for band with such nuance to close their debut EP with its most accessible song, but this just goes to show that Mosley Bar are able to present themselves in any guise they please and do it with admirable conviction.

“Another Record Sleeve” is a short but exciting piece of work which presents a young band who have a fresh new sound backed up with an impressive sense of musicianship. My only criticism would have to be the EP’s length. While we do have four great tracks, which could all be considered single-worthy tracks, Mosley Bar sound like a band with lot more to say than what can be conveyed in such a short amount of time. And I cannot wait to hear whatever they have to say next.

You can stream their EP “Another Record Sleeve” via SoundCloud before the digital release on 18^th April via all major distributers including iTunes; https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/risk-single/id1089965121

 

Mosley Bar has a show on 22^nd April at Factory Manchester in Manchester, England. If you are somewhere near, better go and check them out!

By Louis Cooper-Hughes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To find out more about Mosley Bar, visit their sites using the links below; 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mosleybar
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mosleybar/
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/mosley-bar
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mosley_bar  @mosley_bar
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Ud4GnwUxzxZXBReZ_HsWw
BandCamp: https://mosleybar.bandcamp.com/