Breaking the mould in the melodic rock world isn’t an easy feat, with a countless number of underground acts sailing in the wake of the commercial and radio success of recent pioneers. The result, as with every success story, includes impersonators and wannabes, some more talented than others.
Brighton’s Hot Moth aren’t mere imitators. “The EP represents all of our combined influences, which has effectively created, for us, our new favourite band,” the trio explain of new record, ‘Small Fires’. Those influences come from various places, be it the math-rock intricacies or the expansive melodies. It stretches the pop elements to breaking point following similar footsteps of recent Arcane Roots material, still clasping its own unique style.
It’s also brilliantly uncomplicated in concept. Their complex time-signatures and melodies are set against simple themes. “There is no underlying theme or concept within the EP as such. Lyrics are personally driven and also quite arbitrary,” they explain, “for example ‘I Miss The Missed’ is about the past and looking to the future, and ‘Rhino’ is as literal as it sounds – about a rhino!
“It also represents a relatively short amount of time, from the inception of the band in April 2015, to having our first finished product, of which we’re very proud of.”
Stream ‘Small Fires’ below, and grab it now via BandCamp.