Spread the MOULD: fermenting on friendship, Megabus adventures, and the power of tacos with Bristol's latest fast-risers

How three friends are turning their decade-long jam sessions into fast spreading musical gold. Check out our latest Hype playlist cover feature.

Words: Stephen Ackroyd.
Photos: Alex Eden-Smith.

MOULD are not your average indie-rock band. For starters, they're named after a fuzzy fungus. But like the organism they're named after, MOULD have been quietly spreading their spores, and now they're ready to bloom into one of the UK's most exciting new acts. A bad case of rising damp this is not.

The story of MOULD is one of persistence, friendship, and an unwavering love for making noise together. Joe Sherrin, Kane Eagle, and James Luxton have been musical collaborators for a Quite A While Now, but it's only now that their particular strain of indie-rock is starting to infect the wider world.

"We've been playing and making music together for ten years," the band explain, channelling the spirit of a band that's greater than the sum of its parts. "Even though it's an incredible feeling that people like our music - and enough to want to release it - we know that we would be making music together regardless. It's what we know, and it's what we love."

If you were to peek inside the van currently serving as MOULD vocalist and guitarist Joe Sherrin's rain shelter, you'd find him nursing a hangover from 2000trees. Having that kind of enthusiasm in such challenging conditions kinda proves the point. These guys are true lifers if ever there was such a thing. By day, they're a postie, a videographer, and a sound engineer, respectively. By night, they're MOULD, crafting songs that channel the likes of Fugazi, Pile, and Weezer into something uniquely their own.

2024 has been a whirlwind year for the trio. They've signed to Nice Swan Records, a label with a knack for nurturing exciting new talent. It's something that's left them "chuffed to be part of their ridiculously great roster," they enthuse, their understandable excitement palpable given the list of talent (English Teacher? Sports Team? Sprints? Courting?) that's passed through their metaphorical duck pond. "Can't wait to see our first vinyl," they exclaim, deciding to aim for the easy wins rather than a future Mercury nod, even if the pathway now exists.

"Chalk are wicked," they share of their highlights from the Nice Swan roster. "We got to see them at Ritual Union this year; very good stuff. Splint are wicked too, Cowboyy and English Teacher also - lots of good magic. Also, one of us has a half-doppelganger in Opus Kink, so that's nice."

The year has been "absolutely stacked with highlights," from recording their single 'Glow' with producer Harri Chambers to touring with Regal Cheer and Lip Critic. But perhaps the crowning achievement is their just dropped self-titled debut EP.

The EP is a distillation of MOULD's essence - raw, honest, and tinged with a wry sense of humour. "I think our intention was to draw from the feeling of always living for others," they muse. "For good and for bad. Working multiple jobs to allow for that small sliver of joy each week and having to constantly be dealt blows while trying to reframe it to a positive outcome. Otherwise, you'd lose your mind."

This sentiment is particularly evident in their single 'Cables', a track born from Joe's brief London sojourn. "I moved to London in 2022 and pretty much immediately met someone from home and fell in love, so I'm back in Bristol, which is delicious," he recounts. "But the move was good, though; I loved it there in the massive smoke."

While Joe's London adventure was short-lived, James is still holding down the fort in the capital. "I still live in London, but no one needs to know that. I'm single-handedly keeping Megabus alive," he quips. The bands - they're just like the rest of us really, finding the cheapest form of transport possible and hoping to avoid anything that smells too terrible on the way.

"Honestly, it's financially bonkers," James admits when discussing the challenges of creating the EP. "Nowadays, making a record is the same as saving for a house. BUT absolutely worth it, have you heard 'Glow'?"

The track in question, 'Glow', is the band's favourite from the EP. It showcases their knack for turning seemingly random inspirations into compelling narratives. "It was a much longer set of words and had a bit more of a cohesive narrative," Joe explains. "For the song, I just took the bits of it that fitted or sounded best."

"Around the time I wrote it, I was definitely big into David Berman," he expands. "I would read his Actual Air poems a lot - especially if feeling a little uninspired or if I'm struggling to get started on words for a song - I like reading them to instrumental music. Obviously, his music and lyrics for Silver Jews and Purple Mountains is incredible."

But MOULD's wellspring of inspiration goes beyond the obvious. When asked about unconventional sources, James circles back to his 'preferred' mode of transport. "I'm gonna have to say the Megabus again. I'm sorry for its second mention! So much goes wrong with them that it fills my blood with the purest fuel to make something gross."

Joe chimes in with a sartorial influence: "Also, our boilies. Which is what we call the Long Johns we got for our 'Cables' vid." And then, in a moment of perfect unison that suggests years of friendship and shared meals, the band exclaims, "TACOS." Joe feels the need to clarify: "Tacos are very important, yeah."

This blend of the profound and the absurd is MOULD's secret sauce. They can seamlessly transition from pondering the existential weight of working multiple jobs to waxing lyrical about the virtues of Mexican cuisine. Just don't eat the tacos before getting on the Megabus.

Being in a band isn't all delicious food and inspiration, though. The geographical distance between band members also means that getting together takes a bit of planning. "We play together as much as possible but it often means me doing a day trip to Bristol and the boys doing the opposite with London," James explains. "Who needs sleep?"

But even with limited time, the creative juices flow freely. "Writing is crazy cos even though we might only get one evening a month to dedicate to new music, we still end up coming up with two or three really cool ideas, and it's so much fun," James adds.

This creative fertility means that MOULD are already looking to the future. "We're just finishing up our second EP, which we're absolutely jazzed about," Joe reveals. "And writing stuff for an album. Busy, busy, busy."

In the end, what sets MOULD apart isn't just their music, but their attitude. They're not chasing fame or fortune, but simply doing what they love with the people they love. They may have started as three mates making noise in a Bristol rehearsal space, but they're quickly becoming a band that demands to be heard. This MOULD is spreading, and we're all the better for it. ■

MOULD's new EP 'MOULD' is out now. Follow Dork's Hype Spotify playlist here.