There is nothing spectacular about Spector’s latest release Moth Boys. It is a solid record but does not offer anything new or extraordinary to listeners.
-
Mediocre6
Spector were formed in 2011 by their frontman Fred MacPherson, and started to build their fan base and reputation from playing gigs and festival slots across the country. After winning a spot on the coveted BBC Sound of poll in 2012, their debut album, Enjoy It While It Lasts, was released in August of the same year. After a few years of gigging, and some controversy after guitarist and keyboard player Chris Burman left the band for unknown reasons, they are now back in 2015 with their newest record.
For lovers of The Vaccines, Editors and The Maccabees, you might find a new album to listen to in Moth Boys. There has always been a divided critical opinion on Spector, and this album unfortunately does not do much to bring about a reputation of originality, adventurousness or the ‘classic’ status from the band. However, what Spector have achieved with Moth Boys is a good, solid album, with some decent tracks that would be a nice addition to anyone’s iPod.
Although the record on a whole gives the impression positivity with the upbeat tempo to many of the tracks, it becomes clear on on closer listen that many of the lyrics appear to be quite dark and brooding. Lyrics such as “It’s all meaningless now, as it was meaningless then” add a depth and darkness to the record, although this doesn’t necessarily make it an emotional or meaningful album.
Tracks that are worth listen are: ‘Cocktail Party / Heads Interlude’, ‘Using’, and ‘West End’. On the whole there is almost a saturation of synthesisers on this record, which although makes one reminiscent of the 80s and the reign of bands like Depeche Mode, it doesn’t quite translate in quite the same way, and almost comes across as simply noise.
Moth Boys is out now via Fiction Records.
