By DCist Contributor Quinn Myers
How do you feel about Philadelphia? Because Bethesda/D.C. jangle enthusiasts Big Moth are pretty into it—particularly the lo-fi, gritty punk renaissance the city is having right now. Featuring two members from The Black Sparks and both of The Obsessives, Big Moth pays tribute to their Philly idols on their recent debut EP while cementing their own flair with emotionally unique lyrics, cohesive songwriting, and satisfying, edgy guitar work.
Big Moth moves in a direction away from the band member’s other projects—but retains the rawness and weight that The Obsessives and Black Sparks often wear on their sleeves so well. (The band has only played a few shows since their recent inception, but look out for more to be announced over the next month.) Songs like ‘Dim’, the fourth song on the release, is a heavy standout that has especially epic body-swaying potential live.
The back and forth vocal duties on alternating tracks on Big Moth between Nick Bairatchnyi and Nathaniel Salfi pace the five songs nicely, elevating the expressive song themes over varying degrees of intensity, reflection, and backing vocals (especially on ‘Drop The Ball’). The team effort is strongly felt with Jackson Mansfield on guitar and Ray Brown on drums, who fill in every hole with bursts of youthful energy and sincere talent.
‘Vulnerable’, the album’s closer, feels like an emo hit just waiting for the Broken World Media guys to give it a listen. The chorus, “I wanna get high/I wanna feel fine”, is simple anthem that acts as a thesis for the confusion and heartbreak that drives Big Moth. The irresistible guitar lick that delineates through the whole song feels all the more pertinent as you start to think about unrequited love and smoking a joint before 7th period world history. Kicking into an all-or-nothing jam at the song’s close, Big Moth ends the EP as they began it—with head-nodding, relatable tunes.
Big Moth tackles important themes with traditional emo and garage instrumentation on their new EP, and even as a side project, oozes ability while pining for simpler times. There’s a pacing urgency in all of these songs that seems to be lacking from a lot of other recent D.C. releases—these songs matter, and to no one more than the members of Big Moth. Isn’t that what’s important anyway?
