MOLOTOVS - Wasted On Youth

With over 600 gigs under their belt, word of mouth growing ever more insistent, and a look that blends mod, britpop and punk, Molotovs are the most talked-about band of the moment.

Matthew and Issey Cartlidge (17 and 19 years old), after yet another hit single, capitalize on the buzz with an album steeped in the multi-referencing of modern-day vinyl addicts, backed by enough energy to make it all credible and enjoyable.

It's hard not to appreciate a record like "Wasted On Youth". The melodies are catchy but never grating, Matthew's voice is malleable enough, and the power-pop trio formula applied to britpop simply works.

In an attempt to capture the full force of their live act, Molotovs crank up the volume considerably on their latest single "Get A Life", the track chosen to open the album, injecting a dash of Green Day-style rock that never hurts, while anyone who dreamed of hearing the heirs to The Jam after listening to "More More More" will find further confirmation in the near-cover of "That's Entertainment" recycled in the guise of the faux-acoustic "Nothing Keeps Her Away".

No news is good news: the Cartlidge brothers don't fear the comparison with the past — quite the opposite, they crave it, confident they have what it takes to play the game. "Wasted On Youth" is a record where the sheer desire to play wins out, whether it's Oasis shaping its fabric ("Daydreaming"), The Libertines ("Rhythm Of Yourself") or Buzzcocks ("Popstar") — it hardly matters. Molotovs are well aware of their role as still-green heirs to a glorious era.

That not everything is perfect is nonetheless clear: the tendency to crank up the volume even when it's not needed often disorients and weighs down the pop-punk fabric ("Newsflash", "Today's Gonna Be Our Day"), stripping spontaneity from the album's one moment of neo-romanticism ("Geraldine").

Destined in some ways to become a generational manifesto, "Wasted On Youth" is a record with solid songwriting, dynamic and enjoyable, boisterous and fun enough to win over new converts and new fans for future incendiary live shows. For the more demanding listener, Molotovs' debut remains just the first piece of an obstacle-strewn path: what's missing is a conception of sound that goes beyond pleasant name-dropping and sets its pleasantly retro nature apart, meaning the Cartlidge brothers will soon have to decide whether they want to become the new Arctic Monkeys or the heirs to Greta Van Fleet. Not an easy choice.

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28/02/2026