Mooli are a duo hurtling toward pop success at breakneck speed. Having been picked up by former Dido manager Seven Webster’s A7 Music in March of this year, the twosome have since gained radio play and festival slots and are starting to appear on a number of chill and lounge compilations.
Debut EP One Design is a nice collection of Mooli’s synthy downtempo tracks which aren’t dissimilar in style to Zero 7 and Massive Attack. Opening track One Design is a plodding number with a Balearic style tinkling piano that complements singer Clea Llewellyn’s smooth vocals but thankfully doesn’t overshadow her talent. The track has scored inclusion on the Future Chill compilation which was released on August 8, marking it out universally as the strongest on the EP.
Next up, Save You is a bold number that sees Clea Llewellyn deliver a more assertive performance, hardly surprising since she has to contend with some pretty artificial sounding drumming. Still, the lyrics are thrust into your lughole with genuine contempt for the abhorrent subject of the song: “The media’s little golden child / Could do no wrong, he’s idolised / You’re the winner, he’s the prize...” Ouch.
Track number three, Awaken, is a very much more acoustic sounding tune with a hint of lyrical angst in the verse that is quickly replaced with a respectful declaration of love when the uplifting chorus sets in. Judging it wishy-washy would be harsh, but it doesn’t quite pack the same feisty punch that the tracks preceding it do.
As final track, Underneath the Same Sun kicks in; one gets something of a sense of Mooli-by-numbers. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the track sounds rather too much like the one before it to be judged upon its own merit. A nice, bright and breezy take on life all the same.
