Mollycoddle is making waves with his music right now and this latest release, a Torpedo, is helping immensely with creating that storm.
This track is huge, beautifully delicate and breath-takingly intense at the very same time. From the offset you feel a sense of anticipation, Mollycoddle’s voice and the dreamlike ambiance go together in a hypnotic and calming way, but there’s undoubtedly an air of something bigger on the horizon. As things progress, surely enough the beat kicks in – this thick and heavy, tribal-like drum-line; seemingly increasing the pace and power of the whole journey. Meanwhile the music surrounding and supporting this fills out to become something almost funk-like – warm synths wash over the outer edges, various vocal snippets add similar layers of further detail. And among all of this is the song itself – the concept, the melody, and Mollycoddle’s voice; the thread of personality and depth within the composition.
The second and third times you hear this are where it really starts to lift you up. There’s something familiar about the sound now, but at the same time – it’s all still notably new and exciting; the lyrics, the build-up, the strength. The melodic development offers three separate sections, all of which vary from one another, keeping things interesting, and all of which work beautifully in reaching out to connect and offer something memorable and enjoyable.
Musically this is a totally unusual song, one that hits hard and offers originality and grit in memorable doses. The hook is where things really start to get inside your head, the combination of riffs and effects, samples, sounds, along with the simple and distorted repetition of that key line is a definite strong point. This section takes the song right through to its finish and feels like it makes up the bulk of the experience, even above the verses. There’s a clever breakdown into quietness during the latter half of the track, after which the return of the hook hits with total impact. It’s surprisingly easy to embrace the rhythm and swagger of these final moments as they loop out around you and fill the room.
Mollycoddle’s voice is undoubtedly another strong point for the release and ultimately for his sound in general. The tone and the delivery feel much more classic or nostalgic than the vast majority of modern day funk releases. It’s a sound that feels genuine, soulful and serious – it makes you want to listen, it carries the rhythm and the poignancy of the lyricism in a bold yet smooth way.
The lyrics aren’t overly complex but they offer a fine balance between that which is laid-back and that which hits with a little more weight. The contrast between the simplicity of a drink and the harshness of the language and references that follow has an impact. These two key ideas repeat in an entrancingly rhythmic way to make up the song’s hook.
