Gliding into London after a breathless week of shows across the UK (with special mention given by the band to Coventry’s Just Dropped In, a venue I NEED to visit), LA quintet Mo Dotti dissolved The Shacklewell Arms with their rapturously received shoegaze soundscapes.
From the opening rip of debut album highlight Lucky Boy it was clear we were witnessing a band fully locked in and aware of the giddy power they were harnessing. Smiles exchanged on stage, players completely lost in the sonic dreams they were weaving, it was a joy to behold.
Older EP tracks such as Waiting For You and storming set closer Loser Smile highlighted the band’s glorious beginnings, whilst the new material weaved into the set hinted at a glorious future to come. Mo Dotti are truly one of the best live bands out there doing it, there was no better way to see out my gig-going year.
Mo Dotti are: Gina Negrini (vocals, guitar), Guy Valdez (guitar), Sophie Negrini (guitar, backing vocals), Greg Shilton (bass) and Andrew James MacKelvie (drums).
At the time of writing, UK readers can pick up the band’s early EP collection Blurring/Guided Imagery here. You can check out the band’s full length debut Opaque over at Bandcamp.
All of the emotions I can never quite find the words to express seem to exist effortlessly within April Magazine’s hushed melodies and glacial textures. Each release further refines their unmatched lofi beauty, making Falling Window their most affecting release to date.
As is customary, Falling Window’s enveloping wash of sound is best experienced in a full sitting, making the singling out of individual tracks different. Having said that, Katiana Mashikian’s breathtaking wordless melodies on As You Turn are a worthy entry point for the uninitiated, as is the languid acoustic driven wonder of the Peter Hurley fronted Hollow Stars.
Capturing the DIY spirit of the Bay Area underground at its fullest and most free, April Magazine channel all of life’s highs, lows, light and darkness through their captivating soundworlds. Essential.
Falling Window is available for digital download here. You can pick up a very limited tape edition via World Of Echo here.
Seablite: Jen Mundy, Andy Pastalaniec, Galine Tumasyan, Lauren Matsui (Courtesy: Michael Aguilar and Kasey Kalis)
There wasn’t a dry eye in the indie pop house last week as Bay Area underground icons Seablite announced their farewell show.
Active since 2017, Seablite specialised in nineties inspired shoegaze and baggy fusions, shot through with unmistakable California cool. When they fully hit their stride across 2023’s epic Lemon Lights, they hit upon shimmering soundscapes that were completely and uniquely their own. You can read this writers thoughts on that LP here.
Seablite – Melancholy Molly
With established projects such as Chime School and Rhymies already dazzling audiences, and the promise of more to come (watch this space), it’s heartening to know that an abundance of beautiful sounds lie ahead from the members of this exceptionally talented fourpiece.
heavymetalkids.uk reached out to the band for their thoughts as this particular chapter in their creative journey closes:
“Looking back on nine years with Seablite feels like a dream. It’s hard to believe all the amazing things we were able to do together. I’m so grateful to the band—it helped me grow so much as a musician. Playing side by side with Lauren was endlessly inspiring, sharing the rhythm section with Andy was always a blast, and I loved hearing the melodies Mundy would sprinkle over our songs. “Lemon Lights” stands out as a highlight for me; it felt like the moment we truly sounded like ourselves and became what we’d always aimed to be. We were such a strong unit, and I’ll forever cherish the years we spent making music together. And who knows—maybe in 20 years we’ll play again! :D” – Galine
“I’m lucky to have had so many incredible adventures with my forever ‘Sea Friends’, Galine, Andy and Jen. I love my Blites so much and am grateful to have played with them for the last nine years. Thank you for all the amazing adventures we shared, the people we’ve played with and the new friends we met along the way.” – Lauren
“I’ve grown so much as a musician since we started playing together in 2017. I’m so proud of the two LPs we made, especially “Lemon Lights” which I put a ton of effort into mixing. I think my best show as a ‘Blite was Oakland Weekender 2024, I really wanted to just absolutely destroy that set, and I think it was my best set as a drummer, ever! Touring the UK (a first for me at the time) with seablite and the Umbrellas for Chickfactor 2022 was an unforgettable experience. I’m very grateful to have had this partnership for so many years.” – Andy
“Playing in Seablite for the last nine years has been one of the most fulfilling, memorable, and rewarding experiences of my musical journey and my life. When Galine contacted me asking if I wanted to play, at first I was hesitant about joining a new band. But I had left my previous band, Wax Idols, a year and a half ago and I really missed playing music. So we all met up at their practice space and it felt comfortable and we all clicked right away, and the rest is history. I am so proud of everything that we have accomplished over the years. I will always cherish my incredible memories in Seablite and the music we made together. These are some of my favorite shows:The Ocean Blue at Troubadour, Los Angeles, The Charlatans at Great American Music Hall, Ladytron at UC Theaterand the UK tour with our buds, The Umbrellas” – Mundy
Seablite – Time Is Weird
Seablite’s farewell show takes place on 5th December at Makeout Room, supported by The Umbrellas and April Magazine. A line up for the ages to celebrate a band like no other.
Thank you so much to Galine, Lauren, Andy and Mundy for sharing such vivid, beautiful memories. Seablite’s sophomore album Lemon Lights is available via Mt.St.Mtn here. A fully remastered edition of their debut Grass Stains and Novocaine is out on Dandy Boy Records here. You can revisit the band’s earliest recordings via their Bandcamp page here.
Los Angeles based shoegaze collective Mo Dotti totally captured my heart when I caught them live at the 4 Star Theater on my recent visit to San Francisco. The band’s sound is truly a wonder, with blissed out melodies fighting for air amongst ocean deep chord changes and seismic, swirling feedback.
With a stunning debut album under their belt and a UK tour fast approaching, the band’s lead vocalist and guitarist Gina Negrini very kindly agreed to talk to the blog…
Hi Gina, thank you so much for chatting to heavymetalkids.uk. For folk here in the UK who may just be discovering Mo Dotti, could you tell us a little about the band’s origin story?
Mo Dotti started out as a solo project for me to play guitar and sing in. I used to play bass in a few bands, but I have always wanted to sing and play guitar. After experimenting with looping pedals and wacky demos, I felt myself becoming more confident on guitar; the project quickly evolved into a four piece. We all met playing the same venues in Los Angeles (in our old bands) and we also became closer working at the same movie theater. Guy and I first started playing music together in his old project which he fronted called Socorro. Mo Dotti is somewhat an evolution of Socorro (we really just combined our bands) with me as the singer. Greg Shilton (bass) used to be in French Vanilla, Post Life, and Jody. Andrew (drums) used to play in Moaning and currently plays in Fashion Club. Early incarnations of Mo Dotti used to play shows with all of those bands a lot. Currently, my sister Sophie who has a band called Janelane is our third guitar player. Experimenting with textures!
Mo Dotti – Whirling Sad
Opaque is a wonderful debut album. I find song titles such as Whirling Sad and Pale Blue Afternoon incredibly evocative. What do you consider to be your key songwriting influences?
Thank you Fran… When I think about how these songs make me feel, they make me pretty emotional. I don’t always understand how I am feeling. It’s more comfortable for me to work out what’s going on in my head in music. The Magnetic Fields, Ride, and Cocteau Twins are my biggest influences when it comes to songwriting style. Guy is especially inspired by Swervedriver and Dinosaur Jr. when it comes to his guitar playing style.
I was blown away by the recent 4 Star Theater show in San Francisco. How was the US tour? Is it live performance or studio craft which gives you the biggest artistic buzz?
Thanks for coming, Fran. We were so glad your San Francisco vacation aligned with our stop up there. The tour was great, we came home in one piece (Guy and I caught colds), and we played really well. I would say that we feel that specific buzz during the exact moment we are playing- but leading up to the show or after it I’m usually a ball of nerves. The most gratifying aspect of playing music is writing a song I am proud of. Recording an accurate representation of the music is probably second to that.
Mackenzie Dobias
I believe all of your music thus far has been self released. Is this an ethos you’re keen to continue with, or are you looking for label support for future releases?
Yes! We are control freaks… but, after the response from the LP, we plan to seek label support for LP 2. While it’s really gratifying to connect directly with our fanbase, it was a challenge to distribute overseas. We could have sold a lot more if the record was more accessible abroad. We are currently recording demos for the second album and are about half way finished.
Lastly, I’ve experienced firsthand on my travels how important mutual respect and support is amongst the underground independent scene. Are there any bands local to you or that you’ve played with on tour that you’d like to shout out to my readers?
April Magazine and Pink Breath of Heaven (who we both played with on this tour) absolutely blew me away. April Magazine played our SF show, and we played 3 shows on the road with PBOH. I came home feeling very inspired by them both. I love the sonic tapestry that April Magazine weaves: they take their time getting to a high vibrational frequency. It’s very effective on the audience. Liv from Pink Breath of Heaven has an amazing voice, I really feel like she took me to heaven. Her band also looks (and are) super cool. There were so many musicians I love in the audience at the SF gig, that made me especially happy. It’s always nerve wracking to play for people you regard highly, but we had a wonderful time. Los Angeles bands I’d love to shout out are Host Family, Shaki Tavi, and Valley Porno People. There are so many bands in California making really interesting guitar music today. In a time that feels so hopeless for so many reasons, the fact that people are getting together making music makes me super hopeful for the future of the California indie rock underground.
mo dotti – lucky boy
Thank you so much Gina for taking time out to talk to the blog. Check out Opaque here. The band’s double EP set Blurring/Guided Imagery is available here. You can catch Mo Dotti live across the UK this December, dates and ticket links are listed below…
Effortlessly blending the heady mystique of Broadcast with the baroque playfulness of Friends-era Beach Boys, San Francisco psych-pop experimentalists Magic Fig return with the first taste of their forthcoming full length debut Valerian Tea.
The album’s title track builds on the theme’s of last year’s self-titled EP, with Inna Showalter’s sun dappled vocals once again wrapping themselves around inventive, ever evolving arrangements. “Valerian root extract was a popular remedy for anxiety and insomnia in Eastern Europe where I was born,” Inna explains. “The song is an exploration of how I was shaped and influenced by the experiences of my maternal lineage. This one was really fun and effortless for me and gave me the chance to experiment and take some risks.”
Returning with a gently uplifting yet melancholic sigh as we wave goodbye to summer, Oakland based Rob Good (Ryli) announces his band The Goods’ full length debut Don’t Spoil The Fun with shimmering lead track April Fools.
A bittersweet paean to the complexities of human connection, Good explains the song thus: “It’s about being tugged around by someone else’s ever-changing moods, someone who drives you up the wall but who you’re nevertheless drawn to, almost because of how crazy they make you.”
Joined by bassist Cherron Arens and guitarist Gabriel Monnot, The Goods have perfected a timeless pop formula loaded with arpeggios and heart warming harmonies. Be sure to keep those soaring summer memories alive by letting this most beautiful music into your life.
Don’t Spoil The Fun arrives 24th October on Dandy Boy Records. You can pre-order here.
Everything Tom Brown turns his hand to hits just that little bit different, a fact proven by the sample heavy Americana shuffle of this year’s Lone Striker debut. Switching back to his Teenage Tom Petties hat, new single Hotmail launches forthcoming album Rally The Tropes in explosive style.
Bursting out of the traps on a fuzzed-out bed of raucous riffing and hollered earworm intensity, Hotmail is a jangle-punk bop for the ages. Returning to a full band set-up following last year’s largely solo self-titled cassette, this latest cut sees Teenage Tom Petties’ raw garage energy burn through in breathless fashion. Essential.
Teenage Tom Petties are: Tom Brown (vocals, guitar), Jim Quinn (bass), Galen Richmond (guitars), James Brown (guitars), Jeff Hamm (drums).
Rally The Tropes releases 24th October via Safe Suburban Home (UK) and Repeating Cloud (US). Pre-order here.
On his second album under the Goodbye Wudaokou moniker, Manchester based DIY artist Mat Mills leans toward the Bay Area underground to further refine his heartfelt, upliftingly melancholic indiepop.
Whilst remaining a lofi artist at heart, Mill’s compositions are frequently epic in scope, with sweeping arrangements wrapping themselves lovingly around his plaintive yet affecting vocals.
Huge hearted pop gems such as Never Left and lead single Only Questions lay bare Goodbye Wudaokou’s guitar-driven vision, restlessly searching for truth and meaning amid the ebb and flow of life’s triumphs and challenges.
After the slow-burn success of debut Mirror Skies and this album’s release via the ever dependable Subjangle, now is the perfect time to immerse yourself in Mat Mills’ shimmering soundscapes.
Goodbye Wudaokou – Only Questions
Anything Of Us is available to pre-order on CD via Subjangle here. CD’s release 1st October but full digital download is included immediately upon purchase.
I was totally blown away this week by the announcement of a stunning Dandy Boy Records showcase to welcome me on what will be my first visit to the Bay Area.
Yes, after following the scene for some five years and covering it here for the last two and a bit, my wife Julia and I are finally going to experience it firsthand. I couldn’t be more excited.
I’m meant to be taking a summer break from all things heavymetalkids.uk but I couldn’t resist the chance to highlight some of my previous posts relating to the line up that DBR have announced for Friday 19th September at Little Hill Lounge.
above me – s/t
Expanding on his former band Blue Ocean’s experimental shoegaze soundscapes, Rick Altieri’s solo debut incorporates drum machines, synths and electronic music techniques into its heady dreampop brew. Read more here.
above me – out of body out of mind
Rhymies – I Dream Watching
From the pulsating urgency of the title track’s soaring chorus through to The Hesperian (Again)’s sweepingly atmospheric climax there is a purity to Lauren Matsui’s rhythmic explorations that is both spellbinding and highly addictive. Read more here.
Rhymies – I Dream Watching
Ryann Gonsalves – A sense of Bay Area belonging…
Finally, you can check out last summer’s interview with Torrey/Aluminum frontperson Ryann Gonsalves here. Truly one of my favourite blog projects to date.
Ryann Gonsalves – Feeder Fish
You can expect more news relating to our forthcoming trip over the coming weeks. In the meantime be sure to give the artists above your fullest time and attention. Bay Area underground forever.
heavymetalkids.uk 