Los Angeles-based project Molto Non Troppo consume with a melodic art-pop sound, musing on the human condition through both melancholy and absurdity, on their debut EP, The Futile System. Songwriter Lincoln Mendell blends psychedelia, funk, and jazz to explore the “cosmic ridiculousness” of this human experience, delivering a cerebral yet groovy collection of genre-defying musings.
“The Top of the Ladder” kicks off the EP with captivating introspection, pairing illuminated organs and lyrical insight. “There’s plenty of room at the bottom, but it ain’t the kind of place you wanna stay.” The instrumentation gradually evolves in its sophistication, first with gentle percussive pitter-patter and then with the infusion of hypnotic, twangy electric guitar. Further recollections of meeting a girl “who lived to climb” continue a riveting thematic hold, tracing personal progress and the crushing weight of expectations that can arise. The second half continues the inviting qualities, especially in the “just to say” harmonious vocal layering, showing enjoyable shades of Daryl Hall there.
The EP delights across all five tracks, with the honest mellowness within “Maybe Next Time” arriving next with a similarly delectable blend of guitar twangs and lushly harmonious vocals. “Eyes of a Blue Dog” also excels in its lounge-friendly, jazzy melding of guitar and piano — tasteful and atmospheric. “Dancing Bears” is another gem, embracing the synth-fronted spectrum with its immediate vibrancy and pep. “Washed up in a cartoon world, fairy tales and Disney girls,” the vocals let out, reflecting the lure of escapism as the track builds into an array of blissfully psych-ready guitar tones and magnetic vocal complements. Bouncing keys and twanging guitars enamor in their interplay. The Futile System shows a knack for excellent songwriting from Molto Non Troppo.
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“Dancing Bears” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
