Tracking the delicate process of healing, Molli allows the turning of the seasons to set the tone for December Remembers September Forgets.
Using her ghostly dream-pop sound, Molli moves through four stages of change, each accompanied by a strong emotion and state of mind. Produced by Kristoff Neyens, December Remembers September Forgets is Molli’s first stab at a concept record.
Acting as a medium for mental health awareness, Molli remains on brand in exploring the depths of perception through her art.
Our Little Secret opens the record and introduces us to our first season: denial. Coated in a hefty dose of longing and delusion, Our Little Secret is a plea for the scraps of someone’s love, convincing ourselves it will be enough.
Molli’s voice is velvety and vulnerable atop a simple electric guitar and bass. Bubblegum follows this instrumentation style, softly picked chords that set the stage for Molli’s vocal, which all at once seems stronger and more present.
Sounding like the stripped back version of an emo pop punk song from the 2010s, Molli’s voice seems to further find its place.
By the time we reach Beyond Blue, we enter a new phase. There’s a sense of loss, a tangible lacking. Void of hope, Beyond Blue is a bridge to winter, the blackest season of December Remembers September Forgets.
Isolated is our first invitation to the depths of depression that Molli explores, a feeling expanded upon by Count Me Out.
A Stab In The Dark brings forth a subtle anger, “you are the textbook definition of an asshole.” Despite the humour beneath the phrase, Molli’s delivery is full of ennui.
A positive sign, however, since anger is one rung above depression on the sliding scale of emotion. There is power in anger, less resignation and more action. You’re Not Welcome Here Anymore exemplifies this notion with clarity.
The final season, hope, is signalled by Wildflower. Molli makes clearer her desires, and despite the anguish there is a seed of certainty about what it is she does and doesn’t want.
This distinction is often the seat of our personal power.
The album ends with Rose-Coloured Glasses.
The conclusion and immense realisation that no matter what one does, it won’t ever be enough for someone who isn’t meant for us.
Reconciling the unknowns and accepting the pool of unanswered questions, Molli ends the record not with joy, but with a lack of resistance.
Listen to December Remembers September Forgets below.
