Mt. Doubt – Moon Landings

Mt. Doubt’s latest EP, Moon Landings, is a solid if conventional offering from the up-and-coming Edinburgh band. It offers five tracks of reflective, Americana-indebted indie rock in the vein of bands like The National, albeit with a distinctively Scottish lyrical and vocal dimension.                 

Leo Bargery has a voice like caramel, with just a hint of something grittier alongside. He croons his way through the record with a seductive nonchalance. Lyrically, the eloquent wordiness and earnest sincerity are typical of just about every Scottish indie band since Scott Hutchison first picked up his thesaurus. 'Undulate with me / I’m deaf dumb and blind with the sadness', he sings on opener A Shy Distance.

Things are just beginning to get slightly repetitive, slightly unimaginative before the arrival of the eponymous third track. Midway through, an impassioned yell from Bargery unleashes walls of guitar noise, a popping synth riff dancing over the top. It’s euphoric. Mouthwash, which follows, is an upbeat pop number marked by danceable riffs and chirpy vocals.

Mt. Doubt are clearly indebted to numerous bands on both sides of the Atlantic, and while there’s little on Moon Landings which hasn’t been done before, it’s a solid, enjoyable record which hints at the potential for greater things from its creators. 

Listen to: Moon Landings, Mouthwash