On Molice’s debut, Doctor Ray they were at their best when they were at their fiercest. Songs like “Ms. Panic” had a clear Pixies influence with jagged guitars, massive sounding drums and a gloomy atmosphere. Things have changed on their second album, the recently released Catalystrock. Their sound is much cleaner, and that polish prevents them from recapturing that raw ferocity.
For that reason, Catalystrock was a little hard to get into for me – truthfully my first hope was for an album full of bangers like “Ms. Panic”. But, the upshot of this change is a much more consistent album, with no filler and more variety. They combine punk rock with 60’s group sounds in a way that betrays their debt to Shonen Knife, use disco rhythms on “Romancer” then hit you with the in-and-out before you know it “Still Alive”, which explodes with lo-fi, punk-rock basement-show energy with reckless abandon for 90 seconds before collapsing in on itself.
Where Molice has gained the most traction is with a better handle of their softer side. “Fine Wave” is the best example. The pixies influence remains, but this time is more in line with the excellent “Slow Surf” version of “Wave of Mutilation”, with spare, echoing guitars creating a much heavier atmosphere than any of the faster songs on the album.
Really, it’s towards the end of Catalystrock that Molice really starts to shine. The untitled “Inori” has more surf guitars and a steady but slow rhythm and the final track “The Haze” combines a “Secret Agent Man” espionage verse with a screeching, feedback-laden bridge and and a wonderful “Tegan and Sara” meet “The Ramones” chorus.
Catalystrock is not what I expected from Molice, but I’m happy that it’s what I got. I could definitely do with dirtier production, but the improvement in songwriting makes that complaint seem feeble. Molice has evolved, and their progression demonstrates that they’ve got the potential to stick around for a long time.
Listen: Inori –
Buy Catalystrock at HearJapan | JapanFiles
