Paste

Released in 2022, Paste is the second full-length album from Moin, a trio consisting of Joe Andrews and Tom Halstead (of Raime) alongside percussionist Valentina Magaletti. The album represents a refinement of the 'disassembled rock' aesthetic they established on their debut, Moxie. By utilizing a sampler's logic to arrange live instrumentation, Moin creates a sound that is rhythmically complex and texturally rich. Magaletti’s drumming is the focal point, providing a taut, mechanical foundation for Andrews and Halstead’s jagged, often dissonant guitar work. The absence of traditional singing is filled by a curated selection of spoken-word samples, which lend the tracks a cinematic, albeit fragmented, narrative quality. Critically, the album was lauded for its unique fusion of indie rock sensibilities with electronic production techniques, often drawing comparisons to the more experimental fringes of 90s post-hardcore and contemporary noise rock. It solidified Moin as a project capable of pushing the boundaries of the 'rock band' format into something entirely more abstract and modern.