Molly Karloff, Supernaturalation - album review
Oxfordshire's Molly Karloff have dropped their second EP two years after their debut, licked with booze-soaked riffs and party-time vibes throughout.
The grunge rockers have released this five-track offering via Roulette Media and Cargo and it is chock-full of big guitar tracks that won't break any moulds but will keep pits bouncing at their live shows. The slight issue is its sleek finish means it might carry more swagger and belief in a live setting.
If people liked the critically-acclaimed Dancing For Money in 2018 - which grabbed attention as far away as Brazil - then this will be right up their street. It's based on the same hook-filled, fist-pumping sound that has led them around the country to various festivals and on tour support slots to spread the Molly Karloff name.
So what can we find after the hazy imagery of debauchery contained on the EP's cover?
There's guitar growls galore. The lazy, stuttered intro to The Other Side slouches into existence before percussion whips it to life and we stamp through a tired morning of a track that on the one hand screams grouchiness but on the other a contentment in life, helped along by the scratchy vocals from Simon Guilliard. There's a certain amount of swagger to it and it's a confident track as a result.
There's a more frantic nature to Do You Wanna? once the intro has built itself up to the tub-thumping tempo that will be carried on throughout. Jowie Adkins is most alive here, leading the track with his drumkit via some excellent bass stomping that gives the track an added 'oomph'. It's the best track on the EP as a result.
The length of each recording carries the EP on a little too long perhaps, with the opening title track the biggest offender. Acid-laced guitars give this a jokier feeling, like something Steel Panther might spew forth from their creativity. The chorus feels like a really dirty Vegas night out, but the long interludes between stretch them too far apart.
Fans of this type of polished-clean rock sound will lap this up. It just feels like it lingers a little too long at the party and misses its cue to leave - perhaps losing some credibility through it's super slick production.
Rating: 6/10
Molly Karloff perform at Scruffy Murphy's in Birmingham on April 11
