Miami’s MOLD! is setting off a bomb loaded with garage-rock grime, post-punk stress, and wah-wah garnishes on their third studio LP, “III”. Out on July 17, 2025, on Community Records (Release #113), this is your front-row seat to a metaphysical pit, delivered with energy and a fierce bilingual voice that grabs you by the collar.
Right from the opening snarl of “Elevator!”, MOLD! makes their stance clear: pure defiance. The track explodes with a driving rhythm and lyrics that scream rebellion against conformity and wasted time: “I won’t follow your direction, it’s my future self! Stop wasting your time on me, just listen to the voice!” It’s a cry that immediately sets up the album’s core struggle – society’s pressure versus what you actually want. This ticking-bomb pressure runs through the whole record. You feel it in the desperate escape fantasy of “Wait For The Weekend!” (“Monday Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday I just long to see you / I wait for the weekend so I get to hang with you!”) or the frustrated anthem of misunderstood souls in “Rock n Roll!”: “Y es que nadie entiende / Pero nadie entiende / Nadie nos entiende a ti y a mi” (And it’s that no one understands / But no one understands / No one understands you and me).
The heart of MOLD! beats with all Carlo Barbacci and Bronto Montano, baby. Barbacci’s the main architect here – he’s slinging guitar, keys, vocals, drum machines (with Bronto’s help), and writing most of the music (tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 12) plus all the lyrics except Bronto’s stuff. The guy’s vocals are wild – now he’s snarling in English like he’s possessed, just after he’s crooning in Spanish with this melancholy vibe. Then there’s Bronto Montano, bringing that thunderous bass and his own killer vocals on tracks 4, 9, and 11 – “Rock n Roll!”, “Shinji Ikari!”, and “Al Tacho!” He shares bass duties on the rest too. His songs pack a punch, guys. Take “Shinji Ikari!” with its Eva-inspired existential crisis (“No se si estoy aquí por voluntad o estoy por presión / Si es por Amor o quizás por odio” – I don’t know if I’m here by will or by pressure / If it’s for Love or maybe hate). Or “Al Tacho!” where confidence literally “went to the trash.” Anchoring this duo is Francisco Lujan, whose drumming throughout “III” is propulsive, tight, relentless. The production, helmed by Barbacci and expertly mixed by Ryan Haft, captures this energy perfectly: raw enough to feel live, yet clear enough to appreciate every snarling riff and pounding beat. Carl Saff’s mastering ensures it hits with maximum impact.
What’s “III” about? This album throws itself into the messy, beautiful, often painful reality of modern existence. It’s an unflinching look at:
- Existential Dread & Nihilism: The perfectly named “Struggle With Nihilism!” hits: “Struggle with nihilism, oh now it’s too late / Struggle with nihilism, oh now I’m done… All of my thoughts they burn because they don’t mean nothing.” It captures the suffocating weight of meaninglessness but also this fierce will to keep going (“I’m a survivor, I have a fire inside”).
- Emotional Turmoil & Failed Connections: Songs like “La Música de Tu Dolor!” (The Music of Your Pain!) wrestle with being someone’s scapegoat in a relationship (“Y yo nunca quise ser / La música de tu dolor” – And I never wanted to be / The music of your pain). Then “Disfraz!” (Disguise!) rips off the mask we all wear sometimes (“Me puse un disfraz!… Y por dentro estoy vacío y anhelo soledad” – I put on a disguise!… And inside I’m empty and I yearn for solitude).
- Escapism & Longing: The desperate need to break free from routine fuels “Wait For The Weekend!” and the desire for a different life screams in “Rock n Roll!” (“Yo solo quiero vivir del rock n roll!” – I just want to live off rock n roll!).
- Self-Doubt & Resilience: “Al Tacho!” rips open a brutal confidence crisis (“mi confianza ya se fue al tacho” – my confidence went to the trash), while “Solo Hoy Día!” shows us someone who’s clawed their way to a day-by-day survival mode (“Ya no me equivoco, solo hoy día” – I don’t make mistakes anymore, only today).
- Misunderstanding & Isolation: The recurring feeling of being fundamentally misunderstood by the world screams through “Rock n Roll!” and colours tracks like “A Difference!” and “Shinji Ikari!”.
“III” is a massive leap forward for MOLD!. Carlo Barbacci, Bronto Montano, and Francisco Lujan have created something that not only captures our current anxieties – it screams right back at them. We’re talking distorted guitars, pounding drums, and lyrics that feel ripped straight from the soul. This is rock ‘n’ roll as catharsis. As resistance. As a lifeline when you need it most. Let these guys remind you why guitar music still matters.