Album Review: Gardenia, J. COLLERAN

As Mmoths, Newbridge’s Jack Colleran conjured tempestuous electronica soundscapes. He retired the moniker following 2016’s Luneworks – a cosmic throbber that failed to find much purchase with a mass audience –  and is now releasing music more or less under his own name. With Mmoths having gained a degree of traction, in the US especially, it’s a gutsy move – as is his abandonment of his previous dancefloor leanings in favour of slowly unfurling ambient vistas. One of the inspirations for Gardenia is the sweeping Curragh hinterland of his native Kildare. A concept record inspired by (an admittedly picturesque) corner of the Irish midlands doesn’t quite set the heart racing and, as per the sales pitch, the album is glacial with a vengeance. Melodies flutter in the gloom, pianos tinkle, washes of synth loom like icebergs in the mist. But, just as a flower blossoms in its own sweet time, the record gradually reveals its delights. ‘bERA’ wends along a wavering piano line until it erupts into a wall of strings; ‘and the sky cracked for the first time’ meanders in the fashion of a rippling brook, a menacing undercurrent occasionally discernible. It’s hard to imagine Gardenia adding meaningfully to the fanbase Colleran acquired with Mmoths. This is undoubtedly a record for him, not for us. But it casts a spell – often when you least expect. OUT NOW

Rating: 7/10