Los Angeles – For the past few weeks, The Moth & The Flame have graced The Echo’s stage during their co-residency alongside Freedom Fry. The Los Angeles-by-way-of-Provo, UT band is gaining attention for their catchy and well-produced brand of alternative-pop. Plenty of Los Angeles locals made their way to the venue to take advantage of their last chance to see the band during their month-long residency.
While The Moth & The Flame began as a three piece consisting of Brandon Robbins (guitar/vocals), Mark Garbett (keys/vocals) and Andrew Tolman (drums), on Monday night they performed as a quartet. The band took full advantage of the flexibility an additional musician provides, with Robbins occasionally setting down his guitar to focus on his soaring vocal melodies. The band offered up an eclectic set of songs that remained loyal to their core sound that is a blend of their Utah contemporaries (Neon Trees, Imagine Dragons) and Radiohead’s poppiest moments, with touches of post-rock and classic Brit-pop sprinkled in.
The four-piece played in front of a projector image of their stylized name as well as a light-bulb-adorned version of their logo — an upside-down ampersand. Having recently released an EP titled &, The Moth and The Flame focused their set on performing the best tracks from it, interspersed with songs from their eponymous debut LP from 2011. Judging from this performance, the band has added layers of depth to their sound, making them a much more dynamic band than they were on their debut.
The first highlight from The Moth & The Flame’s set was “Sorry”, taken from their recent EP. This bass-heavy track is most notable for the hook-filled falsetto vocal work of Robbins and perfectly complemented by Garbett’s rich keyboard atmospherics, weaving a vivid sonic landscape. The song climaxed with the instruments falling away, leaving Robbins’ voice solitarily inquiring — “Did you think your heart could change my mind/Did you think your heart could save my life?”
Continuing into their set, The Moth & The Flame did quite a bit of style-hopping within their alternative-pop framework. Some songs were louder and more aggressive, other songs saw the band ditch the electric bass for an acoustic guitar, and others were mostly electronic driven. The foursome showed they are capable of creating some very slick yet still-adventurous pop rock. “The Hunt” was one particularly unique song in their set, relying on softly strummed acoustic guitars and the gentle yet powerful vocals of Robbins.
The Moth & The Flame concluded their residency at The Echo with a strong one-two punch finale, performing their latest single “Young and Unafraid” followed by “Wishing Well”, which was taken from their debut full-length. “Young and Unafraid” was driven by its haunting synth lines; there was something about the song’s structure that sounds quite familiar, but is simultaneously unique and original.
The Moth & The Flame is gearing up for their first full length release for Elektra Records and there is a strong possibility that the single “Young and Unafraid” will be included in the track list. Keep an eye on their Facebook page or Twitter feed for any new information regarding a release date.
In the meantime, take a look at their upcoming shows page to see if The Moth & The Flame are coming to a town near you.
Photo of The Moth And The Flame live by Matt Matasci
Matt Matasci
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