by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
In case working on new albums from Ovlov and Pet Fox weren’t enough, Theo Hartlett is working together with a new band, Boston quartet Moron. Led by long time friend Brendan Delohery (vocals) who wrote all the songs, the band is rounded out by Hartlett (guitar), Ronald Baron Smooth Jazz (bass), and PHONY’s Neil Berthier (drums). With the release of the band's debut EP, Allston Live Demmies, the band play a pointed brand of punk and post-punk, with mostly spoken vocals that take plenty of lyrical jabs while offering a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. It’s full of distortion, big fills, and big heaping levels of sarcasm. There’s even a song about sourdough pretzels. This record is the result of very capable friends having fun.
From the start of “Pretend Friend,” Delohery’s spoken vocals instantly bring to mind Nada Surf’s massive hit “Popular” or the conversational quality of Weezer’s “Undone.” With the band moseying beneath the vocals, they weave and twist between bursts of grungy energy, erupting at times while Delohery keeps the conversation going. “Sourdough” unravels a bit, with a dense thudding rhythm and an unhinged ode to the pretzels Delohery loves. The band up the sludge and the tightness, rattling in a way that seemingly takes influence from Uranium Club, but with more of a dirge. Then there’s “Fuck Party”… which kicks up the tempo in reverence of an old fashioned orgy. From pretzels to “Fuck Party,” Moron are keeping it primal, with something for everyone.