Vinyl LP, Compact Disc (CD), Cassette
Los Angeles shoegaze quartet Mo Dotti take their name from Italian photographer and communist revolutionary Tina Modotti, whose life as an artist began when she moved to California and took up acting in the early 20th century. Her most famous work, however, was produced while living in Mexico, capturing hazy, somewhat anonymized images of working class people. On their debut LP, opaque, band’s songwriting often mirrors the composition of Modotti’s photography, contrasting crisp moments of jangle-pop clarity against billowing clouds of distortion. Rather than zero in on a particular strain of shoegazing, Mo Dotti survey the genre’s evolution and fragmentation over time, fusing ideas and textures to make well-trodden territory feel fresh once more.
The band’s first two EP releases, combined to form Blurring​/​Guided Imagery in 2023, embraced those exploratory instincts to the fullest, never quite settling into a specific sound. They could do a convincing Cocteau Twins impression on the sparkling “Gravity Well,†go full Sarah Records on a washed-out 6ths cover, or even dial back the distortion to emphasize the wonky post-punk riffage of “Hurting Slowly.†On opaque, they’ve managed to synthesize these influences into a unique, restless style that makes each section of their songs feel like an unexpected twist.
The verses on lead single “Lucky Boy†revisit the strummy, wafer-thin psychedelia that My Bloody Valentine toyed with on their Glider EP, making an ideal counterpoint to meatier instrumental sections. When frontwoman Gina Negrini isn’t emulating Bilinda Butcher’s detached, sing-song delivery on the mic, she and guitarist Guy Valdez are stomping all over the pedalboard, rattling off twangy 4AD-core licks and wriggling peals of pure noise. Mo Dotti often conclude opaque’s songs with an invitation for each member to floor the gas pedal, and these crescendos make for many of the record’s best moments. The back half of “Wasted Delay†embarks on a proggy adventure, launching epic Cure-esque guitar solos across a crepuscular chord progression. “Pale Blue Afternoon†even invites comparisons to Dinosaur Jr., with its sputtering wails of feedback. Each small segment of music is constructed with utmost care: “I get pretty obsessed over just a 10-second part,†Valdez told My Little Underground in 2022. “I’ll figure out the easiest way to play it, and just keep listening to it over and over again.â€
