With 'area' on their thoughts and their dwelling of Puerto Rico of their hearts, psych-stoner metalheads MOTHS tells HL how the island's 'ardour' influenced their debut album.
“Puerto Rico is an Island that loves and worships music,” MOTHSbassist Weslie Negrón tells HollywoodLife when discussing House Power, the debut album from the Puerto Rican metallic band. That love and worship felt all through House Power, because the band – lead guitarist Jonathan Miranda, rhythm guitarist Omar González, and drummer Daniel Figueroa – weaves collectively components of progressive rock, stoner metallic, doom, and psychedelia into one of many style’s standout entries of the 12 months. Bolstered by lyrics from Damaris Rodríguez — the vocalist who launched into her personal mission following the discharge of House Power, giving solution to new singer Mariel Viruet – House Power is a cosmic joyride that defies classification the best way a rocket defies gravity.
But, there's one widespread thread all through the album. It’s ardour. The love that the band’s native Puerto Rico has for music is simple on House Power. “It doesn’t actually matter the place you go on the island,” Weslie tells HollywoodLife, “you'll all the time hearken to music and completely different genres and kinds as properly. Having mentioned that, I imagine that starvation for brand new music is what sparks everybody’s curiosity in numerous kinds and subgenres, which ultimately interprets into their music. And Puerto Rico has been producing some actually top-notch, high quality Steel for the reason that late ’80s. We simply want folks to concentrate; they gained’t be upset.”
For these curious as to which a part of House Power embodies their dwelling essentially the most, Weslie factors to the third observe on the alum. “I can say that perhaps the ending of ‘Awake’ with that Latin Jazz half might be essentially the most Puerto Rican aspect that we've on this album. However other than that, our general ardour for the music [and] being on stage of recorded will be perceived and, as I discussed above, there’s barely the rest Puerto Ricans are extra captivated with than music.”
Within the following EXCLUSIVE interview, Weslie explains the origin behind the House Power title, how this album represents the following step within the band’s evolution, and when stateside followers can count on to blast off with the band in particular person.
HollywoodLife: House Power has been out for a couple of days now. How has the instant response been to the album?
Weslie Negrón: It’s been wonderful! We’re actually overwhelmed and proud of the general response to the album. I, personally, have all the time felt some type of insecurity in direction of our music, not as a result of I don’t imagine in it, however principally as a result of we’re conscious that it might not be everybody’s cup of tea, so once we see this type of response to it, it’s very gratifying.
Why did you guys resolve to call the album House Power? The time period has been one in all ridicule – to the place Netflix even did a comedy sequence known as that. What impressed you to undertake this time period and make a sick area prog-stoner rock anthem?
So, as I’m certain each different band on the market does, we've preliminary names to all of our songs that find yourself being modified as soon as the track is totally written. After we have been writing the observe, “House Power,” it was across the similar time that Trump made the speech in regards to the new army department opening. It was so weird and dumb that we joked that this track was going to be known as “House Power” till it wasn’t a joke anymore, and we determined that we have been going to base not solely the observe however the entire album round this idea. The album shouldn't be an idea album, however we made certain to make use of area particulars on every part, from synths to the paintings. For those who learn the lyrics of the track, Damaris used among the traces that Trump utilized in his speech as a part of the lyrics for the track. It’s extra of a satire than the rest, for certain.
MOTHS (bassist Weslie Negrón, lead guitarist Jonathan Miranda, rhythm guitarist Omar González, and drummer Daniel Figueroa) with vocalist Damaris Rodríguez (Courtesy of MOTHS)It’s been mentioned that House Power represents your “maturity each lyrically and musically” because you adopted components of prog into your music. What led to this “maturity”? What would you say has been the largest progress within the band?
I believe that maturity comes primarily due to the chemistry of the band. After we launched our first EP, we had barely been taking part in for a 12 months, and we had a distinct lineup again then. With the ability to write these songs with a constant lineup and attending to know one another musically was the primary key for us to have the ability to strategy this music and these tracks in the best way we did. We’re additionally very open to everybody’s concepts within the band. We actually don’t say “no” to something that anybody brings. We just about strive it, and, I imagine, we’re additionally very self-aware when issues don’t work. Being in numerous bands up to now, I believe it is a signal of maturity since I do know for a proven fact that not all bands have such a clean course of when writing music.
What would you say was the largest problem in making House Power? Was there a track that took some additional work earlier than it got here collectively?
Actually, it was such a clean course of that I don’t assume I can level out any particular track being exactly arduous to place collectively. I can say, although, that most likely the toughest half was in search of the “excellent timing” to launch the file. In Puerto Rico, we’ve had so many social points which will have affected to the general launch of this album. On high of that, you have got the pandemic that positively delayed the recording course of. However general, it was a reasonably clean course of, numerous persistence, and I believe it’s paying off.
Equally, what would you say is the album’s largest shock?
I believe the mixture of kinds which might be someway cohesive. The sleek transitions between songs and inside the songs themselves are one thing that I believe it’s value listening to. I’m nonetheless very shocked at how these tracks simply someway belong one to a different with out actually being written for that function. If anybody can understand that this album was made by 5 folks having enjoyable whereas making music, then that’s it! That’s precisely what this album is about.
What's the subsequent step within the band’s evolution?
We’re going to Argentina for the primary time to headline the Heresy Fest pageant on September tenth. We’re already properly underway writing the following album, and we hope to be touring across the US in 2023. We’re simply going to proceed to push House Power as a lot as we are able to and attempt to push it on each nook of the world!