Mmoths - Diaries EP Review

Diaries, the second EP from ambient electro's latest rising star Mmoths, has arrived after what has been a solid 12-months of touring and the occasional single since Newbridge, Ireland-based producer released his self-titled debut EP. Over that year the young producer has pooled together his experiences for another otherworldly offering, with the echoing oasis of claps and chimes that made for such a rich, layered outing last time being retained as Mmoths (real name Jack Colleran) explores even more mellow direction than his any of his previous work.

Last year's debut really impressed with tracks such as the Superhumanoids featuring  'Summer,' 'Thnx' and 'Heart,' which Keep Shelley In Athens appeared on, managing to move from straight chill-out, down-tempo electronic music to radio-baiting samples of ambient pop. Likewise with the singles released between the EPs, most notably the brilliant, almost house sound 'Folding,' Colleran has managed to make some notable release over the past 12 months. With Diaries, the fun seems to have been stripped away almost altogether as Colleran delves into a much more melancholic atmosphere than before. EP opener 'One' seems to channel most of its inspiration from fellow ambient enthusiast Balam Acab and with its gradual build up to the walloping drum crashes it sets up the following track brilliantly as it is slowed down for the breathy, Young and Sick featuring 'For Her'. 'For Her' could easily fit in on the debut EP and is a beautiful example of young Colleran's ability to make accessible, down-tempo music, but it is here where the EP begins to slump unfortunately.

Both 'Losing You' and 'No One' suffer from being a little too self indulgent and overly long (despite neither being over 4 minutes long) and Diaries begins to run the risk of collapsing in on itself before the Holly Miranda featuring 'All These Things' manages to salvage the integrity of the EP. Reverting to a more upbeat tempo, 'All These Things' stands out from the pack as an EP (and career) highlight as Miranda shows that a little help can go a long way in making a good song into something special. Colleran soon reverts back to melancholy on the closer 'Too Real' - a track reminiscent of The Cure with its downy, sporadic piano chords and back-alley background noises.

As nice as his whirling, ethereal songs may be, when it comes time to release a full length he may have to think of something a little more out there to keep hold of peoples attention. Diaries beings to feel a little drawn out and repetitive at only 6-tracks in length, so if Colleran wants to make a big impact with his first full-length (whenever that may come) then he needs to become much more adventurous.

6/10

Joe Wilde