An engaging blend of past and present-day sounds, California's the Molochs are a combo whose melodies are informed by contemporary indie rock as well as blues, folk-rock, psychedelic, and garage rock flavors. Their music speaks of both sun and shadow, with the catchy melodies and open spaces serving as a complement to the lyrics of band founder Lucas Fitzsimons, who often sings of disappointment in life and love. Formed in 2012, the Molochs released their first LP the following year, and enjoyed a critical breakthrough with 2017's America's Velvet Glory, which won them a larger following at home and abroad. The bluesy undercurrents of the first two Molochs albums were toned down in favor of a slightly poppier approach on 2018's Flowers in the Spring. The Molochs are the brainchild of Lucas Fitzsimons, a guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist who was born in Argentina and soon relocated with his family to the South Bay region of Los Angeles, California. While Fitzsimons was a big hip-hop fan as a kid, when he was about to start junior high, a friend got an electric guitar, which sparked an interest in the instrument. Not long after, Fitzsimons and his parents traveled back to Argentina to visit family there, and when he discovered one of his relatives had an old acoustic guitar that had seen better days, he started teaching himself how to play, and got an instrument of his own once he returned home. In his teens, Fitzsimons played in a succession of bands, including Bad Dreams and Forming (the latter cut a single in 2011). After visiting India in 2012, Fitzsimons had an epiphany about his life and decided to form a new group to reflect his new outlook. Teaming with Ryan Foster, who played guitar and keyboards, he formed a band -- dubbed the Molochs in reference to a passage in Allen Ginsberg's poem Howl -- that reflected a growing interest in blues, garage rock, psychedelic music, and folk as filtered through contemporary indie rock. In August 2012, Fitzsimons and Foster took their new songs into the studio, and the Molochs released their first album, Forgetter Blues, on their own Fourth and Orange label in January 2013. The duo began playing live shows in California, and word about the Molochs made its way to the independent label Innovative Leisure, which struck a deal with the band. The second album from the Molochs, America's Velvet Glory, was released in January 2017, and the set made a much bigger splash in independent music circles. Thanks in part to plenty of positive press (the respected British music magazine Mojo called it one of the best albums of that year, or any year), the Molochs launched successful tours of the United States, the U.K., and Europe, while Fitzsimons continued writing songs. In September 2018, Innovative Leisure dropped the third full-length from the Molochs, Flowers in the Spring, which eased back on their blues influences in favor of a poppier sound that contrasted with the sometimes dour tone of Fitzsimons' lyrics. ~ Mark Deming