by Anna Solomon (@chateau.fiasco)
Mo Dotti always presents themselves as a blurred-out haze, whether in their colorful promotional photos, or the title of their 2020 debut EP. It’s a good representation of their sound, leaning into the both the dreamier, and especially noisier sides of shoegaze influences like Lush and Slowdive. Since the release of the EP Guided Imagery in spring of 2022, Mo Dotti has remained active around southern California, playing shows including an opening slot for Otoboke Beaver. The quartet’s first release since then comes as part of Stories, a compilation of all-new music from Los Angeles-based queer and PoC artists. As the name implies, Stories aims to compile the “stories we tell and the story we tell when we tell them together” and highlight marginalized voices. Due out June 2nd via Practical Records, it’s an eclectic collection that moves everywhere from electronic to folk to musique concrète across twelve brash and experimental tracks.
“Ever” is a more downbeat take on Mo Dotti’s noise-pop approach. Gina Negrini’s airy vocals float high enough not to get bulldozed over by droning guitar chords, but the bright and jangly guitars that defined much of Guided Imagery aren’t quite so lucky. Any ringing chords get absorbed into the wall of fuzz, synths, and delay pedals with the feedback knob turned all the way up. A simple and punchy drumbeat drives the song forward and keeps it from becoming too washed out, supported by production that brings out some low end without feeling too clean, or particularly clean at all. It’s an exciting take on a classic sound, and a great taste of the upcoming collection.