MOTH TLK Debut Single, ‘These Friends Of Mine’ Out Now
Stripped of the noise, the lights, and the labels, what remains is the music that truly matters. The Lifeboat Playlist is a raw dive into the sonic DNA of the artists we cover, forcing them to pick the ten definitive tracks they would carry into isolation—a survival kit built on pure, gut-level resonance.
For MOTH Tlk, these ten tracks aren’t just influences; they are blueprints. They represent the standards the band measures themselves against and the exact kind of songwriting that made them pick up instruments in the first place. Capturing raw ambition, dense atmosphere, and undeniable conviction, this selection forms the exact foundation of how Moth Tlk approaches writing and performing today.
And because no real playlist is complete without a little dynamic contrast, we squeezed in two extra confessions: the ultimate guilty pleasures. The track picks you secretly blast when no one is watching—the songs you love without apology, even if they completely ruin your street cred.
W: Karl Watson
Sum 41 Fatlip
Sum 41’s ‘All Killer, No Filler’ is basically my first real musical memory. My older brother bought it and I absolutely loved it. If you put the CD into a computer you could play the ‘Fat Lip’ video, and I did this on repeat. I saw them a couple of
years ago on their ‘Does This Look All Killer No Filler’ tour after having not really listened for years and was surprised that I remembered nearly all the lyrics – it basically unlocked my childhood brain which was amazing. It’s definitely one of
my favourite ever gigs. I started listening to the whole album again after that and it is wall-to-wall bangers. They’re probably the reason I first wanted to write music.
Bloc Party – ‘So Here We Are’
When I was in secondary school Bloc Party became my first proper musical obsession. Honestly, I could’ve picked basically any song from their first two albums, but I’ve gone with ‘So Here We Are’ as it’s the one I most keep coming
back to. There’s something about how the opening guitars and bass work together that makes you feel like you’re floating. And then the pay off at the end as it builds is sensational.
Pavement – Gold Soundz
When I was about 18, Pavement became my second proper musical obsession. I love their slacker attitude, Stephen Malkmus’s wry nonsensical lyrics that can somehow still pack an emotional punch and the way their songs are super
chaotic but still filled with incredible hooks. ‘Gold Soundz’ is actually one of their less chaotic songs, but it is such an ear worm and I love the bittersweet nostalgia in the lyrics (this is going to be a heavily recurring theme).
Alvvays – Archie, Marry Me
This is an incredible tune. For a seemingly cynical song that mocks traditional relationship expectations, it still manages to be incredibly heartwarming and touching and is probably my favourite love song. The chorus is one of the biggest
ear worms you’ll get and the spacey production is great.
Hives – ‘Hate To Say I Told You So’
This tune just absolutely slaps. I love how The Hives embrace brash silliness while still coming up banging riffs. The garage rock sound is production is just class too. They showed me that you can write a top, top song around one strong riff and absolutely chaotic vibes. It was a tight call between this and ‘Tick Tick Boom’, but ‘Hate To Say I Told You So’ is the original classic so it had to be this.
FIDLAR – No Waves
FIDLAR reignited my love for garage-rock and skate punk when I was in a more indie phase and is probably one of the most noticeable influences on MOTH TLK from this list. ‘No Waves’ is my favourite of their’s. It’s catchy as hell and I
absolutory adore the lead guitar melody and tone. I also love how it’s somehow feels energising, uplifting and sad all at the same time. The lyrics are super dark but the music makes me want to get out there and take on the day.
LCD Soundsystem – All My Friends
This is my favourite song. The steady build-up is amazing, the music perfectly escalating alongside the storytelling of the lyrics until it all reaches a huge but still poignant crescendo. The lyrics encapsulate my favourite niche genre in
music/books/film which is ruminating on the end of youth without 100% knowing if it is definitely the end, almost like a nostalgia for something that’s currently happening. I’ve lucky enough to see them a couple of times and this has always
insanely good – it’s not a moshy song but both times everyone just lost themselves at the end and went completely wild.
Junior Varsity – Cross The Street
I first heard this last year and basically haven’t been able to get it out of my head since - but I’m happy about it. It’s definitely one of my favourite songs of the last couple of years. It’s just so infectiously catchy. I love the contrast between Greg
Varteresian’s laid back vocals and the energy of Brooke Danaher’s. And how the off- kilter guitars and drums drive the track forward. It made me want make music and that’s
when I know I really love a song.
Olivia Rodrigo – Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl
Alongside rocky-indie I really love pop music, and Olivia Rodrigo is the perfect marriage of both. She brought around the pop punk revival and made it truly mainstream. This was released just as I was getting back into writing music after
a few years hiatus and is similar to the style I most-naturally write in so gave me confidence in what I was doing. Her first two albums are instant classics as far as I’m concerned – every song is great.
Charli xcx ft Troye Sivan – 1999
This is just a pure pop banger. Charli xcx is incredible and on a generational run at the minute - I’m loving her new music and I love all of BRAT, but ‘1999’ gets the pick as it leans a bit more into my pure pop sensibilities. I saw her in Glasgow
on the BRAT tour and she absolutely killed it. I actually originally picked ‘Apple’ but then I listened to ‘1999’ and had to change my mind. It just makes me want to dance more than any other song. I’m not too sure how much space there is to
dance on a lifeboat, but I’ll be using all of it. The way she’s always reinventing herself and pushing pop forward is so impressive.
GUILTY PLEASURES: The ultimate, un-apologetic track they blast with the doors locked and windows rolled all the way up.
The Darkness – I Believe In A Thing Called Love
The Darkness are another band like The Hives where their commitment to silliness has me entirely sold. They genuinely have a whole load of great tunes too. A couple of years ago I actually wrote a treatment for a comedy ‘We Will
Rock You’ style musical set to the music of The Darkness, predictably called ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’. It was about a space cowboy who had to travel into the heart of a blackhole to discover the true meaning of love. I then read an
article where Justin Hawkins mentioned he’d never want to do a musical where they just shoe-horned Darkness songs into a story which was very much what I did, so that put the end to that project.
LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem
This is the perfect pop song, and I will not hear otherwise.