MOURN a teenage four-piece from Barcelona strike hard with their fierce debut on Captured Tracks. The self-titled album wraps the snarl of teenage angst and rebellion into a garage-rock package with whiffs of grunge and riot grrrl.
Clocking in at 25 minutes these 11 tracks — which carve an arc starting with slow dystopia and building to quick-paced rock — feel like far too few. On the plus side it certainly won’t tire listeners out or bore them.
What they lack in complexity and maturity they make up for in authenticity and mastery of the basics. MOURN won’t blow audiences’ minds with dense riffs and complex tempo changes but they’ve got what counts: teen spirit. Their music captures the essence of being young: rebelling dating defining and finding a voice.
The vocals mimic the rawness and vibrato of Marissa Paternoster (of Screaming Females) while the style shows the potential to develop like Cloud Nothings from signature garage rock to something more intricate.
The album is short and intense making it a compelling listen for all audiences. While it’s slightly derivative it also drops plenty of hints that the members of MOURN are defining themselves as a force to be reckoned with.
