EP Review: One

Dunedin band MōTA has announced their arrival in New Zealand’s alt-rock scene with their debut album One, a brilliant seven-track burst of raw energy that will eradicate your winter blues. If you hunger for music that’s equal parts power and grace, MōTA’s beautifully arranged debut is set to get you on the dance floor and hijack your pulse like never before.

The three-piece band, consisting of Jimmy Higgs (guitars, vocals), Craig Hall (bass, vocals), and Jason Chisholm (drums), wields a cohesive chemistry that’s at times relaxed and light-hearted and at others attention-grabbing and masterfully discordant. It’s a whirlwind of soaring vocals peppered with poetic fire, bass lines that surge like ocean tides, and crashing drums similar to a South Island coastal storm.

Friends for years, MōTA’s creative process hums with that effortless vibe you only get from band members who are on the same wavelength. Recorded at Sublime Studios with engineer Tom Havard and co-producer Steve Harrop, this album is an expertly crafted sonic blade that slices through the haze of everyday life. Well mastered by Chris Shetland at Kog Studio, One is a sonic statement that feels both timeless and current, a testament to MōTA’s ability to channel their Dunedin roots into something universally electrifying.

One kicks off with a trio of pre-release singles, dropped weekly on Wednesdays, each a teaser of the album’s kaleidoscopic range. From the opening track, Oversold, with its jagged, slightly lo-fi guitar riffs and in your face vocal prowess, to the anthem-like To Rome, where Te Reo vocals from Rhonda Bryant, Tenaya Brown, Karamea Pewhairangi, Aliyah Tautuhi-Fraser, and Kiritea Smith weave a cultural thread through the band’s alt-rock tapestry, MōTA don’t just play songs; they build musical worlds that must be explored.

What sets One apart is the balance of alternative styles combined with post-punk edginess, beautiful song structures coalescing into cohesive Te Reo passages, all enhanced by modern day recording techniques that have lost none of that Dunedin edginess the band exemplifies. Tracks such as the third single, Ten Second Eleanor, possess an unmistakable pulse you cannot help but get into. Likewise, the energy of No Sign of Life never lets up, making it the standout track for all the right reasons.

Jimmy’s guitar work slicing through and lyrics painting vivid snapshots of life’s dark undercurrents are reminiscent of Don McGlashan’s earlier work and just cryptic enough to keep you fully engaged throughout. Doing double duty, Steve Harrop on keys adds a subtle, at times almost imperceptible enhancement, toward the end of this excellent album, particularly in the last track, Until Midnight, elevating the record’s texture without stealing the limelight.

Launched to a sold-out crowd at the Southcoast Boardriders Association, One is the first half of a debut set, with TWO slated for release sometime in October. MōTA have crafted an album that’s both a love letter to Dunedin’s DIY spirit and a bold step into NZ’s alt-rock future. Make sure you get it rattling your bones today.