MMOTHS
Despite the increasing levels of attention garnered by his second EP Diaries, this youthful Irish producer remains admirably grounded.
There’s nothing more reassuring in a young musician’s career that the sound of progression. MMOTHS, the 19-year-old from Newbridge, Ireland also known as Jack Colleran, has come a long way in just over a year. There’s a palpable maturity in the young producer’s second EP Diaries.
Not only is this maturity heard through soft, luscious beats telling tales of loneliness and longing, but also in his voice as he speaks to Crack about his growing reputation. He displays nothing but pure modesty, positivity and gratefulness. Refreshing and unpretentious, despite having gathered acclaim from the likes of Flying Lotus, Gold Panda and Annie Mac, Colleran remains equally excited by the average listener’s interest.
“It’s the best feeling in the world”, he says of those high-profile admirers, “but I don’t see it any different than if someone came up to me saying they bought my record, even if it’s just some guy on the street. That’s just as amazing.” He still seems almost disbelieving about his role as a functioning musician. “You always take things for granted” he says, “but I try to step back, think about how good things actually are and how lucky I am.”
Colleran’s prodigious ear for creation is far from straightforward. Reflective of his self-deprecating attitude, he downplays his own abilities, and his unorthodox methods of constructing sounds would surprise anyone. “I don’t know the technicalities of music, I don’t know production” he admits, “which I like, because it’s messy, it’s a bit more fun. Some people are going to see that and think ‘he’s talking bullshit’”. Suffice to say, the assurance of Diaries makes it difficult to believe it stems from such an amateur approach. Colleran explains that distorting different sounds beyond recognition has become one of his key ingredients. “What I try to do is use electronic elements and make them sound organic, creating sounds that you can’t pinpoint what they actually are”. This sentiment, which he claims is “not logical”, leaves the listener contemplating the origin of each muffled beat, snare snap and haunting melody.
The wistful and reflective EP clearly has a narrative at its heart, with elements which resonate with emotion and experience. There is considerably more depth on offer here than his self-titled debut. It’s reflective of a bout of homesickness which struck whilst on tour in the States. “It was a really lonely time for me and a very sad time” he relays. “I just love having people around me. I live off other people’s energy.” Isolated from that support, the young producer’s solitude became increasingly influential, inward-facing contemplation flourishing into an external effect on his music. “In that period of time I grew more than I’ve ever grown before, and that’s when I was writing the EP.” Colleran admits that his first EP now makes little sense to him, but as a young musician, he’s been forced to accept that this music was already in the public domain, unable to be retracted. It was a realisation which spurred him on.
Colleran’s focus is unfaltering as he narrows all of his attention into his music project. He detaches himself from the limelight, shaking off the notion of being centre of attention. “The whole project was never meant to be about me”, he stresses, “it’s meant to be about the music.”
Ever quick to downplay his abilities, Colleran insists much of his success has to do with luck. However, receiving a phone call from LA offering a record deal when his classmates were getting their final exam results was surely more than just a fluke. Despite being hunted down for his talent, Colleran remains wholly unaffected. Choosing his management was a further opportunity to remain level. “You can be so much more truthful with someone you get along with, rather than with someone in a suit”. He and his manager, Jimmy, have formed a close relationship.
Though his management is LA-based, Colleran puts great importance in remaining in his homeland, something he shares with this writer. As we chat about the increasing trend of emmigration amongst young Irish, he stresses the importance of staying put, with an aim towards creating a platform for Irish artists and musicians and to potentially persuade more talented individuals to stay on the Emerald Isle. “I want to be one of the people that stays here and develops something here” he stresses. “With the internet, it doesn’t matter where you are in the world, people hear your music, see your art, read your novel, whatever. You don’t need to live in LA or Berlin to be an artist.”
Whilst still in his formative years, Colleran holds no regrets in choosing music over university. “I love what I do, there’s no point in looking back and thinking I could have been something amazing”, he says. Deviating from higher education doesn’t seem to have done him any harm so far, and expanding on a lack of interest in studies he opens up. “I was always really unsure of what I was going to do, I always felt separated from the other guys in school or in college.” And after a visit to a prestigious Dublin art school, he admits that “I felt so uncomfortable; I thought ‘you know Jack, you’re not meant for these places.’”
But there’s no denying he’s found somewhere he is meant to be, and all while his 20th birthday is still around the corner. He is, of course, reluctant to make any big plans. “I don’t like birthdays” he declares, “I just want to hide away in Newbridge with my Mam and Dad. I don’t like the attention!” And while, apart from a change in record label and a clutch of dates across Europe, Colleran remains politely reserved on the future of MMOTHS, it seems certain attention is one thing he’ll have to get used to.
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Diaries is available now via SQE.
Words: Isis O’Regan
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