Ears Wide Open: The Moth & the Flame
Kevin Bronson on
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Singer-guitarist Brandon Robbins offers a lot of apologies in “Sorry,” the new single from L.A.-based trio the Moth & the Flame. But one matter about which he and bandmates Mark Garbett and Andrew Tolman have no regrets is moving to Los Angeles a couple of years ago from Utah. In 2011, the trio self-released a full-length that could be characterized as a starter set of alt-rock, but since then things have fallen into place. They worked with drumming/production savant Joey Waronker on their new EP “&” (out Oct. 29), which has been picked up for worldwide distribution, and Robbins, Garbett and Tolman are working on their full-length with producer Peter Katis (the National, Interpol). With its serpentine bass line, “Sorry” is exemplary of the new EP’s spacious yet atmospheric arrangements and ear-hogging rhythms. The Moth & the Flame will tour Europe starting in late October with Imagine Dragons (for whom Tolman used to drum).
||| Stream: “Sorry”
||| Live: The Moth & the Flame play Oct. 25 at the Bootleg Bar.
[…] The trio of Brandon Robbins, Mark Garbett and Andrew Tolman hail from the same neck of the woods as “alternative” radio marshmallows Imagine Dragons and Neon Trees, but you can’t hold that against them. Their EP “&” achieves that rare middle ground between sophistication and enchantment – if you’re not immediately seduced the bass line in their single “Sorry,” then I suggest therapy. The rest of their intricately arranged, pitch-shifted and polyrhythmic EP portends great things. [Previously.] […]
[…] Previously: “Sorry,” “Winsome,” “How We Woke Up,” Bands to Watch […]