That’s My Story, the sophomore release from Rhode Island-based anthemic rock group Molly Maguires, melds honest, heartfelt lyricism, brash songwriting, and a healthy dose of New England grit into symphonic garage masterpiece. Drawing from the genre-agnostic aesthetic of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, That’s My Story is bold in its diversity; the record nods to raucous brawlers, country twang and folk traditionals, brassy ballads and drinking songs. Yet, thanks to the deft touch of the artists that crafted it, the record stands as cohesive whole.
Molly Maguires was officially formed in 2019 by founding members JJ Sorensen and Meghan Earle. Sorensen is a native of Westerly, RI who had previously served as a live guitarist for Westerly-native pop/R&B artist Laura Dowding. Earle, a native of Assonet, MA, is a veteran of the Boston, MA music scene known for her immense voice and electric stage presence. Sorensen and Earle, who first met and began playing music together in 2010 while both were attending Framingham (MA) State University, are joined by guitarist Jesse Coppa, multi-instrumentalist Jason G. Taylor, bassist Nathan Johnson III, and drummer Sean Scro.
The group’s debut album Public Enemies was released on April 7th, 2020. After the covid-19 pandemic prevented the band from touring to support the album, the group instead began writing and production for their second full-length LP. A potpourri of old songs from the scrapbook and brand-new creations, That’s My Story is not and was never intended to be a concept album the way their first record was. “The songs themselves come from all over the place,” says Sorensen. “Yet, as the writing process progressed it became clear that there was a narrative thread that existed, which we then tried to hone and nurture during production. I think the final product does contain a subtle narrative thread to it, which was not the original intent… it was something that just naturally evolved.”
That’s My Story was tracked at Big Nice Studio, in Lincoln, RI. Proprietor Bradford Krieger of Big Nice co-produced with Sorensen, as he did on their first record. “Brad and I have developed into a super effective “odd couple” of a production team” tells Sorensen. “I have absolutely zero skillset on the sound engineering side, having engineer that I can trust is essential to my ability to make records. He also knows how and when to stay out of the way. He lets us make our music. He knows exactly when and where he needs to steer the ship. There is never any question about who is doing what, it just falls right into place.”
On this St. Patrick’s day 2021, it’s only appropriate to let that green and Guinness/Harp fly, as this year’s edition of the hootin’ holiday is certainly better than last year’s ominous shutdown week. Glide is premiering the raucous and contagious anthem “Hey Boyo” which kicks and stomps with a righteous rock underbelly. The band professes a songwriting knack that makes them more than a nightclub shitkicker and in turn a viable outlet of punk anguish and folk gallantry.
