Exlovers have the pop and bounce of bands like The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, but without the overabundant fuzz and rampant hype. Exlovers have also been likened to everyone from Stars to The Smashing Pumpkins. You can hear all three references on their new album, Moth, but Exlovers succeed in defining their own sound.
On their new album, the London-based band effectively meshes the sub-genres of fuzz-pop, dream-pop, indie-pop, and even experimental-pop while maintaining a unique sound not overly buried in their influences. Their songs are fun, sometimes lighthearted other times crafted with lyrical prowess and occasionally draped in emotion.
Moth is a metaphor for a relationship. The album begins with new love in “Starlight, Starlight” which blossoms into “This Love Will Lead You On”. The tone changes after “Blowing Kisses” with songs like “I Wish We’d Never Met” and the epic nine-minute closing track “The Ruins” where the lyrics are split between two redundant phrases: Yeah I know that all I did was disappoint you in the first half and You never comfort me in the second.
Exlovers definitely produce on Moth. Top tracks are abundant, from the percussion-happy, lyrically peppy “Blowing Kisses” to the intro/retro-spective “You Forget So Easily” to the dreamy “This Love Will Lead You On”. Despite every song being a true highpoint, “The Ruins” is the album’s pinacle. Throughout, though, you are never left bored, dissatisfied or uneasy.
Moth will be an easy pick for one of the year’s best debut LPs, if not one of the year’s best LPs period.
Exlovers in 2023
While the band hasn’t truly been active in years, there has been activity on their Facebook page. As noted in my coverage of their 10-inch 2009 EP You Forget So Easily, the band is set to reissue Moth on vinyl for the first time in April 2023 via P-Vine Records out of Japan.
“You Forget So Easily” is also off Moth, and you can see the video for that one below:
Young And Lost Club [CD, 2012]
1. Starlight, Starlight
2. This Love Will Lead You On
3. Emily
4. Just A Silhouette
5. Blowing Kisses
6. Unlovable
7. I Wish We’d Never Met
8. You Forget So Easily
9. You’re So Quiet
10. The Ruins
