MOLD! enters a dark forest in "Choose to be Controlled."
Skating gnarly figures around noise, punk, and exhilarating psychedelia, Miami-based band Mold! is rambunctiously working towards the killer release of their upcoming album due this September, and the final step before that fateful moment comes today with the release of their third hype-up single, “Choose to be Controlled.” It's a manifesto about the band's rebellion-with-a-cause.
Carlo Barbacci is a multi-talented musician who contributes his skills in guitar, vocals, and synths, along with Bronto Montano, a skilled bassist and vocalist, and equally talented drummer Frankie Lujan. They've decided to follow the same successful recipe that led them to win the prestigious ‘Miami New Times Best Emerging Act 2021’ award. In a collaborative effort with renowned sound engineer Ryan Haft, who has previously worked with well-known bands such as Torche, Wrong, and Jacuzzi Boys, the trio has teamed up once again to record and co-produce their latest album.
The song feels unequivocally meaningful for the rising trio, bearing a personal mission statement to always carve their path in the music industry rather than allowing Mr. Big to dictate where and how their music is made. A punk manifesto if there ever was one! The primal chaos that the music invokes is echoed a bit in the animated music video directed by Grayson Durham. The dark fantasy adventure romp is equal parts cartoony and moody, playing with amazing colors and charming and memorable character design for something that feels like ‘Adventure time!’ meets High On fire’s ‘The Black Plot’. Animated music videos always have that sort of unfair advantage, don’t they?
“The song is about carving our path in a world full of powerful people trying to control us and how some of us choose to be controlled for comfort, while some others find the strength to find freedom just to realize freedom hurts too.” - Carlo Barbacci
If an artist becomes overly fixated on broadening their audience or conforming to outside expectations, they run the risk of losing touch with what made their music distinctive in the first place. The sound and style that have been developed in tandem with their audience are manifestations of their individual personalities, experiences, and outlooks. It's what distinguishes them from other artists and creates a deep connection between their music and their fans. By sacrificing this sound to appeal to a larger audience, they jeopardize the genuineness and emotional resonance that made their music so impactful to begin with.
MOLD! was born in 2019 when Carlo and Bronto moved from Peru to the US of A and decided to unleash their musical talents in a new country. After hitting up Miami, they got right to work and started making waves in the local scene. And guess what? All that hustle paid off when they dropped their first album, No Silence!, in 2021.
Since then, these guys have been crushing it at some of the biggest festivals in South Florida, like iiiPoints and Bumble Fest, as well as a few others outside the area, including Winterland up in Jacksonville and Festival Sideral down in Lima, Peru. And that's not all - they've even opened for some big names like Los Blenders down in Peru and Dion Lunadon in the heart of Miami.
Article By: Samuel Aponte