I must admit, I listened to MOBS’ new EP Bad Love feeling a little disconnected for the most part. Perhaps I shouldn’t have read the press release first, which cited such wide ranging influences as Tears for Fears, Steve Winwood, Billy Ocean, and my current favourite new band LANY. It also stated the Melbourne outfit has just signed a record deal with Rude Records, home to Less Than Jake, The Maine, and Set It Off, to name a few. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the music. It was fun, ear-pleasing pop. But it didn’t grab me as much as I’d hoped. Until the final track.
Funnily enough, the final track is also the EP’s first song, but a more stripped back, acoustic version. It was in this mode that I really got to appreciate “Dark Side of a Good Thing,” and MOBS generally. I’ve often said that it’s an underrated talent to write a catchy pop song, and this track is that. But it’s a bit more too. The lyrics are complex and interesting, while still being accessible. There’s a real musicality about this band. I might have missed it on the first run-through, but it’s definitely there.
It’s also worth noting that while Spotify states Bad Love has a 2019 release, thanks to that new deal with Rude Records, it’s actually a re-release of music that came out in 2017. What’s here is solid, but I think we’ll hear a little more maturity on future releases.
MOBS have got all the makings of a really good band. In fact, they could be a great one.
Image used with permission from AAA Entertainment