by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Los Angeles’ Mo Dotti are a genuine shoegaze band, their sound reflective of the genre’s glory days. Influenced by bands like Lush, Cocteau Twins, The Sundays, and sure, My Bloody Valentine, they have studied the classics, from songwriting to production, and they’ve created their own version for our modern times. They’ve spent the past three years refining their approach, constructing and layering guitars with dreamy perfection, and everything falls right into place on the washed out drift of their first EP, Blurring. After a string of singles, which include the EP’s “Inverted Skies” and “Gravity Well,” the quartet will release the five song collection on May 22nd via Oakland’s Smoking Room (Toner, Justus Proffit, Tony Molina), a must own for anyone with an affinity for the Creation Records daze.
From the jangly and starry-eyed opener, “Glow In The Dark,” Mo Dotti show their knack for syrupy melodies, constructive distortion, and glazed over production. There’s a strong pop sensibility in the vocals, which sit triumphantly in the mix, not below or above anything else, but engrained together. The band's songs are built like lullabies, luring you into comfort, and letting you drift to anywhere you want to go. It’s sweet and muscular, the heavy lifting put on by lush waves of guitar that never feel aggressive but still manage to create a wall of sound effect. “Gravity Well” is a great example of Mo Dotti at their best, ringing and winding their way through mesmerizing circles and into the breezy openness.