REVIEW: Montclair’s “Mothballs” Feels Like Summer Remembered
WRITTEN BY ALICIA ZAMORA
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Montclair’s “Mothballs” carries this really specific feeling that’s hard to explain but easy to recognize once you hear it. It sits somewhere between nostalgia and youth, two universal experiences, like a memory you can’t fully place but still feel connected to. It doesn’t try to be loud or over the top — it just settles into its own space and lets you stay there with it. This song does not perform, merely allows itself to be heard and absorbed.
The production leans into a hazy, laid-back sound that immediately sets a mood. It feels light, but not empty — there’s a quiet emotional weight underneath everything that gives the song depth without making it feel heavy. It really captures that in-between feeling of summer where days feel long, but everything moves fast in hindsight. It’s the kind of sound that works just as well in the background as it does when you’re actually paying attention, which makes it feel more lived-in. The vibrant instrumentals and slightly obscured, slow vocals give “Mothballs” a distinctly shoegaze-y sense.
The idea of nostalgia is really central here, but it doesn’t feel stuck in the past. Instead, it feels like it’s happening in real time, inviting listeners along to recognize a moment is meaningful while you’re still inside it. That’s part of what gives “Mothballs” its quiet strength. It doesn’t romanticize everything too heavily, which allows listeners to decide for themselves how they interpret the track, nor does it strip the emotion away. “Mothballs” sits right in the middle of that balance.
Overall, “Mothballs” is a song that settles in slowly. It’s not trying to be a big summer anthem, but it still ends up feeling like one in its own quieter way. There is something beautiful about the reflective space it occupies.