Bristol’s post-punk trio MOULD are back with a high-octane project, carving out a space in the modern alt underground music scene. Following the success of their early EPs like ‘CHUNKS’, the band’s now returned with their eagerly awaited debut album, released via 5dB Records, ‘Hoping as a Coping Mechanism'. Written from scenes of their hometown and recorded at London’s 5dB Studios, it was produced by Sean Oakley, who is known for his work with Sorry and Georgia, and flew in from Los Angeles especially to lead these recording sessions.
With 13 tracks, this album acts as the perfect example of bottling modern anxiety. It opens with ‘Misanthrope’, a combustible rager that immediately registers as a clash of life-affirming noise with biting cynicism. The track sets a furious pace before leading into ‘Float’, which is one of the singles that captures the brain-rotting paralysis of doom-scrolling. Lyrically, the band talks about navigating the online hellscapes between ads and political propaganda, backed by a barbed, angular rhythm.
As we dig into the album further, it showcases the band’s broadened abilities. ‘Emotive Language’ distorts time signatures to match the frantic realities of trying to maintain artistic dreams in your 30s alongside other 'real-life' goals. Tracks like ‘Tapes’ and ‘Lucid’ go further into the industrial-tinged post-punk genre, balancing claustrophobic sounds with melodic clarity. On the other hand, ‘Hatching’ and ‘Falling Posture’ dig deep into the traps of overthinking societal definitions of success. The latter especially tackles the exhaustion of forced positivity, pairing dark humour with an unstoppable rhythmic drive.
Overall, this album refuses to stay one note. While the band’s earlier EPs relied heavily on raw live energy, this debut album brings a more focused pacing and melodic arrangement. Every track functions individually as punchy and jagged indie-punk anthems, but together they paint a cohesive picture of internal and external chaos, exploring everything from social/political exhaustion to the mundane difficulties of modern adulthood.
‘Hoping as a Coping Mechanism’ shows MOULD as a band maturing, having refined their rough edges into something more calculated and emotionally relatable. It points towards a thrilling trajectory for the band, which is just stepping out of their local underground circuit and proving that they can channel their lightning-in-a-bottle energy into a more focused and sophisticated statement.
C. Sharmishtha
Image: 'Hoping as a Coping Mechanism' Official Album Cover