I admit, the name is not the most appealing. But the Moldy Peaches’ newest album “Origin Story” is anything but the slime the band name alludes to. Almost 30 years in the making, the album is a collection of ephemera from a band that’s been around since the members were children.
As with most of their music—as well as the solo projects of members Kimya Dawson (she/they) and Adam Green (he/him)—the tracks are best listened to with airpods or other in-ear headphones to get the full experience. I have found that it is not at all difficult to imagine yourself at a dimly lit, close quartered venue whilst listening to the grainy voices of Dawson and Green as the warm sense of their camaraderie floods the room.
Additionally, it is easy to see yourself as a teen in a Y2K coming of age movie laying on your bed, having your main character moment, as their tunes play softly in the background.
“Origin Story” consists of previously unreleased and unproduced demos and poetry by the band from their early days. Quintessential to the band’s intimate style of lyricism and musicality, you can really get a sense of the band’s quirky and unconventional style that comes later in their career.
The Moldy Peaches were a staple in the New York anti-folk scene of the ‘90s, a genre categorized by the satirization of folk music (such as on their track “Royal Family” which prays on the downfall of the royal family). The duo met at an open mic night in New York in the early ‘90s. They then began recording music together, along with a cast of other musicians, forming a full band and sticking together for a decade. Their song, “Anyone Else But You” was featured on the soundtrack for the 2007 film “Juno,” starring Elliot Page.
According to a tweet from Green, he said the tracks on “Origin Story” are from a time before they ever expected people to listen to their music. There is an acute sense of nostalgia for the time of Neutral Milk Hotel, “Daria,” and Walkman CD players woven through every grainy recording that is less than 3 minutes. As Dawson described in the liner notes for the track “Punching Bag,” this song (and album) is for the weird kids.
Some tracks (“Lil Bunny Foo Foo,” “Flea Circus,” “Candyland”) tell a story that would not be out of place in a particularly eccentric children’s show. Some songs are rife with the melancholy and infinite sadness of early ‘90s indie and alternative music (“Bleeding Heart,” “Wake Up”). Others still showcase the quiet warble of Dawson’s voice (“Times Are Bad,” “Ugly Child”). The under polished tunes grasp firmly onto the sense of freedom, fear and unmatched loneliness that come with late teens and early twenties.
After finishing listening to the album, I was overwhelmed with the sense of wanting to rekindle my childhood dream of reconnecting with old friends and starting a band that makes bad recordings of good music. One take away from the anthology is to hold onto that sense of wonder of your youth. Don’t throw out the glitter gel pen diary, don’t throw out the love letter you wrote on a gum wrapper to the girl with the blue hair in your algebra class. Who knows? Maybe one day, almost 30 years later, you’ll compile them into an album and write your own “Origin Story”.
Origin Story is currently available for preorder on vinyl, CD and cassette. The album will be released on 25 February 2022.
