The Mohrs serve up great melodic rock on debut album
Some have claimed that rock is dead, but thankfully, Canada seems determined to fill our iPods with young rocking bands, and to that end, The Mohrs’ debut album “Kings of Nowhere” delivers a nice collection of finely crafted melodic rock. Fronted by singer/guitarist Jackie Mohr, who also penned the material with producer Hawksley Workman, the band (hailing from Toronto) serves up a brand of rock that sits comfortably as a harder, more sincere version of Avril Lavigne, with a dash of sassy attitude.
The Mohrs publicity still
The album opens with “Better”, which is also the newest single. It’s a rocking up-tempo number that is probably the album’s best song. The band shot a sexy video for the track that will surely generate a lot of clicks for the band.
Next up is “Cassette Tape”, a song that waxes nostalgia about the era of mixtapes. I still maintain that anyone who is nostalgic about cassettes wasn’t around when they were popular. But it’s quite fitting, as there is a slight retro undertone that runs through the songs, especially with some of the synth sounds. Another strong track is “Perfectly Sane”, a song that was actually released last year and made into a video and features great vocals from Mohr. “Won’t be Going Home” is a snarky affirmation of independence and strength that could have been a single too. “Kings of Nowhere” is another highlight that sounds ready-made to be played live and get the crowd pumped.
The album never rocks again as much as it does on “Better”, but the songs are well written and super catchy. Mohr’s voice is very strong and she projects a lot of personality and attitude. It’s clearly a solo project disguised as a band, but there’s nothing wrong with that. I think we’ll hear a lot of this album in the coming months.
3.5/5
