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Phoenix based dance rockers Harper and the Moths have got a plan and it has nothing to do with being confounding or bland – however that doesn’t mean there isn’t some crypticness to their sound. Like the popular French band (Phoenix) that shares the name of their home city, Harper and the Moths deliver glittery anthems with infusions of new-wave and post punk. For a city that is always on the hunt for a good bash, Harper and the Moths have been an ideal fit for concert goers looking for live dance music that stays sane of the EDM scene, similar to what fellow Phoenix band Black Carl provided. Now having released singles over the course of the prior year, the band has assembled six of them along with three remixes in their new EP, Rock.Pop.Soul.
A Studio 54 panache permeates the six tracks and three remixes, with noticeable thanks to frontman Harper Lines’ commanding falsetto. But you have to give it up to the tight rhythm section of David Campbell and Nick Ramirez along with guitarist Chan Schulman’s scratching staccato chords that give Harper and the Moths its bite. From the jittery groove and syncopated beats of “Nighttime Tremors” to the unabashed pop of“Walking Through Fire” fans of Prince, The Killers and Yeah Yeah Yeahs will find something to latch upon. Although intended as a “break-up” record, the clash between Lines’ darker yet disjointed lyrics and the ferocious upswing of the melodies, provide for an interesting dynamic in the opener “Diamonds.”
All thrusts and quivers aside, Harper and the Moths aren’t reinventing anything here and might not ever be confused with the brooding complexity of say – The National. But there’s no arguing the fact that they have produced a trafficable brand and an engaging live sound that can fill both clubs and your home speakers.
Links
Harper and the Moths on –Facebook
Harper and the Moths – Official Site
