Review Summary: A short record that continuously rewards on repeated listens.
Tony Molina triumphantly returns with his brand new record Kill The Lights. Gone are the fast paced bursts of power pop inspired by bands like Weezer and Husker Du. Tony Molina now embraces the influences of bands like Big Star and Teenage Fanclub. Kill The Lights contains a nice mix of full band and acoustic tracks, all while keeping almost every song under the two minute mark.
Nothing I Can Say kicks off the record with its pessimistic lyrics and insanely catchy chorus while being able to a minute and ten seconds long. Short songs with big hooks have been something that Tony Molina has executed almost flawlessly and KTL showcases that even more. On Jasper’s Theme, one of the longer songs on the record, Tony sings about the joy he feels when “she comes around”. When She Leaves reminds me of Thirteen by Big Star, a simple acoustic track that’s catchy and depressing.
A complaint I can see people having is the runtime. Ten songs in 15 minutes is a little short, however, that’s where the charm is for me on this record. It truly does reward repeated listens. Tony excels with slower more somber tracks, but I will always want more fast paced crunchy power pop tunes. KTL will most certainly go down as one of my favorite records of 2018.
