A restless storm brewing over Granite City.
High above the grey buildings of Aberdeen, beyond the cold rain, biting wind, and the salty harbour air, lives a sound like no other. It’s where you’ll find Moody Moody and their music that soars into the world of the surreal.
Fronted by Levi Kelman, Moody Moody are an alternative four-piece from the North-East of Scotland who create an ethereal blend of indie rock and pop, threaded with elements of post-punk and shoegaze. Combining the emotional weight of The Twilight Sad, the intensity of Mogwai, and the mysteriousness of Warpaint, their songs are vast, immersive, and extraordinarily unpredictable.
Released in April 2025, ‘Otherlands’ EP is an ideal entry point into Moody Moody’s world. It opens with ‘Feels Like This’, an inviting indie track delivered with clarity and confidence. Driven by a sharp guitar riff, rich layers of sound float beneath Kelman’s soft vocals, gradually building towards a catchy chorus that pushes the song towards mainstream appeal. One day, this may sound right at home coming from the Other Stage of a certain English summer festival.
While upbeat and bright, ‘Shivers’ reflects on the uncertainty of reality, its message amplified by the track’s intricate structure. Building up the tension, the instrumental sections purposefully stretch beyond their expected duration, forming moments of surprise and delayed release. The sound scintillates. Expansive and colourful, it swells into a cloud of cinematic noise, that despite its intensity, seems to breathe with every note.
Drawing on the oppressiveness of the modern world, the closing track, ‘Otherlands’, shifts the mood into apocalyptic bleakness. Embracing the poetic darkness of the theme, hopelessness and resignation trickle from the bass strings as the foreboding intro transforms into an expansive dreamscape that hovers on the edge of nightmare.
Dining, in a world with two black eyes / A siren, with a smile that waves goodbye
Here is where Moody Moody lean fully into the unpredictability that lifts them above many bands out there. Here, the drums arrive when vocals are expected, pre-choruses lead to verses, and the rapid pace is disrupted by unhurried insertions, always sudden but never out of place. And here, the desperate calls to ‘SHOUT’ and ‘SCREAM’ are restrained to a near whisper.
This is music that transcends boundaries. Authentic yet surreal. Human, but flawless. Most of all, hopelessly irresistible.
Nearly a year has passed since the release of the EP, which was followed by two singles ‘Controller’ and ‘Versions’, the most recent one shared in February 2026. What came after ‘Otherlands’ is a story for another review, perhaps one that may never fully capture the astounding quality and impact of that work.
Moody Moody arrived slowly and steadily. A gentle breeze that brought a violent storm, and pressing play feels like jumping right into the middle of it. Let it carry you up high – you may never want to come back down.
