Mobina Galore

Don't Worry (2019)

RENALDO69

If you listened to 2017's Feeling Disconnected it'd come as no surprise why Winnipeg's Mobina Galore blew up so big. Extensive touring and support for bands like Against Me!, not to mention lots of festivals and awards, all felt like something that should naturally follow a two-piece that wore their heart on their sleeves. Through their brand of melodic/indie punk, vocalist/guitarist Jenna Priestner and drummer/vox Marcia Hanson really cut a path with fast-paced punk, shoutalong anthems and a barrage of stories that wasn't just relatable, it was something you felt the genre needed to hear, especially from two women kicking major ass. Come Don't Worry, they continue in the same vein, but with a few more years experience under their belts, Mobina Galore truly have put out their best to date.

Sure, you'll get the mid-tempo jams you'd expect such as "Back to the Beginning," as they wax on and on about bad breakups and longing for more. It's interesting because the theme of the record is "I've fucked up, life's a mess" -- but most of the narrative is built around friends and family not having to worry. It's an inspirational pick-me up that urges you not to give up and constantly, it reminds you that your best is yet to come. When the shoutalong "Escape Plan" and the skate-punk banger "Sorry, I'm A Mess" hit, you can see what Jenna's about, admitting faults but moving forward. And that's the magic in this record, it's very human. Breakneck speeds of the latter provide such an intriguing dynamic as the message comes out angrier and a bit more relentless, and you can't help but feel you want more of these -- something the band admits are better set as infrequent jams, rather than a style they'd follow in depth.

That said, by the time the melodic, catchy RVIVR-esque "I Need To Go Home" hits -- and make no mistake, this is one of the best songs this year -- you can't help but marvel how they've mixed their arsenal up, matching their energy at live shows which still surely charting out something diverse so no live performance ever runs the chance of feeling formulaic or one-dimensional. By the time the 90s-rock driven "Oh, Irene" rolls around, it's more or less cruise mode with Mobina proving their best direction is no direction at all. Nothing sounds the same, nothing feels the same and that's why they'll always surprise you and shake you with every release.