EP Review: Molly Payton - 'Porcupine'

Molly Payton’s second EP ‘Porcupine’ goes bigger and louder, while still retaining some of her previous acoustic flare.

It may be the presence of Francobollo, her new live band, which has added a little more bite at times. Those anthems combine nicely with the acoustic sound of debut EP ‘Mess’, which reappears here, reflecting the different sides Molly offers. 

Opener ‘Warm Body’ introduces us to the larger sound this time. “He’s got a problem so he’s just my type,” she sings, turning the tables on the way some men write about women. While this pre-release single may cite ‘shitty poetry’ and ‘a thing for wasting my time’, its anything but. 

The 90s influences take a back seat for the Joy Division sound on ‘How To Have Fun’, where Molly criticises ‘cool’ with soaring vocals and a catchy chorus aimed at big venues. It may not be cool to impress others, but this track is definitely exciting.

‘I’m Too Smart’ is a change in pace, an acoustic flavour more like the sound of ‘Mess’. The 19-year-old uses the uncertainty of being a teenager as a recurring theme, like when Molly sings “life’s so good when you know what you want” in ‘Planet Holiday’. 

Another great anthem emerges in ‘Going Heavy’, with its moody bedroom-pop sound perfect for beabadoobee fans. Molly sings “everybody wants to be somebody” - on this evidence, she could.

Softer ‘Rodeo’ closes the EP, adding a little more space to the timeless conflict of being a teenager, unsure where life goes, and musing “I know I shouldn’t feel this, but I do”. While Molly might question “Am I wasting my time?”, you won’t be wasting yours hearing what she has to say. 

While the title is about the battle to keep people away, ‘Porcupine’ will pull in an audience who acknowledge you sometimes need to ride the bad to get to the good. This EP is an image of where Molly Payton is now, and its somewhere cool – and that’s not a bad thing, this time.

Words by Samuel Draper

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