Moin

Moin are Valentina Magaletti with Tom Halstead and Joe Andrews (Raime), and their third album of finely tempered post-hardcore expands their remit (and no doubt their reach) by adding original vocals by Coby Sey, Olan Monk, james k, and Sophia Al-Maria for a patented knit of wiry guitars and trilling stickwork referencing touchstones by Shellac, Slint and Fugazi.

In key with the emergence of notable band-style ensembles from London such as Mica Levi’s Good Sad Happy Bad, bar italia, or Still House Plants, Moin revel in the gauzy tonal infidelity of analog craft and formats that, while still employing computers in post-production, leans into the human grease of hands-on experience. Since their inception over a decade ago, the trio have taken a studied view of nostalgia; as much of the scene has attempted to recapture the lost essence of '90s euphoria, Moin have augmented it, wondering what bands like Slint and Fugazi might have sounded like if they'd opened their eyes to parallel musical developments.

Front-loaded with vocals from Olan Monk (who has already appeared on one of our favourite albums of the year, albeit incognito), to the early Earth-like sludge that ushers artist/filmmaker/writer Sophia Al-Maria on ‘Family Way’, thru a syruped james k in ‘What If You Didn’t Need a Reason’, with Coby Sey blooming from ‘We Know What Gives’, they reliably skew the format, and with it feelings and expectations, at every turn. The sinuous funk (and subvocalisation) under the skin of ‘Cubby’, and ‘It’s Messy Coping’ are especially compelling, while ‘Happy in the Wrong Way’ recalls A.R. Kane’s efforts in a similar vein, and the gloomily gothic closing collage of ‘Just Married’ evokes early industrial music’s break toward folkier dimensions.

It’s strong, memorable stuff.