Hydroplane - Molly And The Moon

Hydroplane

Molly And The Moon
self-released; 2017

​4.0 out of 5

By Jamie Robash

The Joliet, Illinois instrumental collective Hydroplane was formed in 2015 by drummer Chris Radosevich and guitarist Derek Tripp and later added bassist Marissa Gardley. The trio wrote a full-length record and then went on a fruitless search to find a vocalist. After this they scrapped those songs and wrote new ones with the intention of being an instrumental rock band. I’m glad they did, and anyone who really digs instrumental drone-y and fuzzy shoe-gaze inspired rock compositions should be too. 

Hydroplanes debut record Molly and the Moon sounds as good as anything I’ve heard from the new crop of new wave and shoe-gaze acts to come along in the last five or so years. The compositions on this record have a symphonic quality to them and a control that many acts can’t seem to muster as well as Hydroplane does with this style of music. For as atmospheric and seemingly unending as these nine songs are it is clear that Hydroplane always have a firm grip on the reins and have a firm understanding of where the songs are going. In short these songs are not long drawn out jam sessions (though some of them do give off that initial effect) but carefully composed and controlled experiments on which the trio are doling out here. 

On Molly and the Moon Hydroplane also do not fall prey to a lack of variety that plagues so many instrumental bands across all genres. The record opens with “The Mirror” a short intro track that combines tape hiss and found sounds with a mild humming and some staple vocal samples. Then it moves slowly into the bright and amoebic soundscape on the puncturing “lo.”

​Next we drift into the soft and spacey “Venus” which builds up into an all-out assault of rock and is definitely a shining star on the record. Later we are treated to another planet “Jupiter” which soars with sharp slashes of funk and jazz riffs. “Strawberry Moon” closes out the planetary record and zigs and zags from dirty hard fuzz addled rock to slow and low ambience. 

For shoe-gaze or even hard rock aficionado’s Molly and the Moon is definitely a record you should have in your arsenal. As for the rest of you, get with the program already.

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