Mothlight is an LA based trio who stick closely to their story of creating “dream pop birthed from the loins of a nematode.”
“Laika” was named after the first animal to orbit Earth (pictured below) and plays to Mothlight’s other worldly musical delivery.
Originally beginning as a solo bedroom project for Matt Billings, 2008 to 2012 saw the release of 3 separate EPs. By 2014, Matt’s longtime friend and keyboard/synth player Grant Stevens joined and they released an LP, Calico. Fast forward another year, and last but not least, drummer Andrew Smith joined Mothlight.
For “Laika”, mixing and mastering was done by Andrew Naeve with artwork (below) by Megan Jorgenson.
“Laika” itself is incredibly light and easy to appreciate. Its soaring vocals chime perfectly in-line with the track’s instrumentation, making the close to 5 minute song engaging to the end. Surprised is the first word that comes to mind, but I had no previous exposure to Mothlight before “Laika” — the song is just cheerfully different from what is easily found in the modern soundscape. I love it.
You can support Mothlight on their Bandcamp page, where they are offering “Laika” with a name-your-price option. For social media, you can find them on Facebook and Twitter.
