Call It Arson

Mothwash: The Old Flames [7 inch] (2008)

Bryne Yancey

Mothwash: The Old Flames is the new 7" from Call It Arson, and it's an enjoyable, albeit brief burst of unpretentious, lo-fi indie rock.

"There's a Way to Be On" is an interesting track, if only for how many distinct parts Call It Arson manage to pack into 1:48 without any of it sounding busy or forced. A short, conventional acoustic guitar part accompanies the shaky vocals in the song's infancy before drums kick in and an electric guitar begins to gently be strummed in the background. The song's apex is full of cymbal crashes and passionate singing, ending the song on a pleasing note.

On the flipside of the record is "Sharpie," a track that begins pretty minimally with a piano part and some high-pitched, quivering vocals. The song's lower-end is pretty heavy, for lack of a better word; the piano combined with the sounds coming from the rhythm section making for a dramatic, almost brooding sound that complements the vocals pretty well.

Call It Arson aren't doing anything groundbreaking on Mothwash: The Old Flames, but it functioned as an introduction to the band quite nicely and made me want to check out some of their other releases. So there's that. Not a bad way to spend six minutes.