Review Summary: Not your regular sushi bar order.
With wave number five of the sprawling genre coined “emo” in full-swing, fans are never short of new material to immerse themselves in. One little-known rising star deserving more attention is Helsinki-based quartet moshimoshi. Although the band name may conjure up images of your favourite side order from your local pop-up, hipster-packed sushi bar, what the Finns serve up is a delicious sonic mixture with its roots deep in the late 80s indie and Midwest emo scenes, complemented by light dustings of post-hardcore and math rock. Formed in 2020 and with the short and sweet EP
moshimoshi I under their belts, the band fully fledged the nest in 2023 with the release of
GREEN LP – a record capturing a young band sounding as fresh as daisies, brimming with confidence and showing huge potential for the future.
Stylistically, the bones of
GREEN LP are mainly composed of fast, heavily distorted guitar chords, interwoven with jangly guitar licks. Played by Eetu Tuominen with a high degree of precision, these mathy yet effortless sounding lead parts snake their way through each track, providing a healthy dose of melody. The two styles of guitar playing bounce off each other incredibly well, managing to sound simultaneously uplifting and melancholic. “Is It Still Called Sailing if the Ship Has No Sails” serves as the best example, starting with an American Football inspired riff then bursting into a world of semi-chaotic emo bliss before ending with a smooth, silky outro. The Midwest emo base is nuanced by the inclusion of harsh vocals with the urgency of Aatu Kovanen’s earnest delivery showing an obvious influence from screamo legends Gospel.
Most impressive is how the album is structured. The soft, mellow leads alongside gentle post rock-esque drumming break up the aggressive parts effectively, ensuring the album flows with ease and provides a pacing which makes the album easily digestible. The cherry topping the already tasty cake comes with the end piece “Well, This Is Where We Part Ways”. Starting with gorgeous post-rock influenced guitar leads reminiscent of the opening track “Sleeping Under a Green Leaf”, this initially has the effect of bringing the record full circle before a surprise eruption of crunching chords, blistering leads, and crashing drums bring the album to an epic close. With stunning musicianship, a bold delivery and an uncanny ability to evoke multiple emotions at once,
GREEN LP is a truly excellent debut that compiles various genres of decades past into a product that emanates nothing but the utmost freshness and leaves you hungry for more.
