Dilf_77 Would Like To Chat immediately dances into life; the opening track of its namesake is an unusual homage to disco, stylized with Aidan Moffat’s trademark bloke-ish vocals.
It’s a change from Moffat and Bill Wells’ usual bleak affair, setting aside melodic jazz, Wells lays down a disco arrangement that just screams Nile Rogers.
‘Dilf_77 Would Like To Chat’ is littered with 70’s references: Alicia Bridges and Harold Melvin and the Blues Notes are just two who receive a nostalgic nod from the Moffat-Wells alliance.
‘Danse Profane’ depicts a glorified one-night stand, oddly romantic in its frankness.
Moffat’s talent for romanticising the mundane is in full force here: “the usually grumpy old cow behind the counter shows me what her smile is like, and it’s beautiful”.
Belle and Sebastian’s Stevie Jackson appears on this track with a melodic guitar riff, which explains its warmth and energy.
It’s a delicate sound, which only serves to compliment Moffat’s candid anecdotes of every day life.
‘Danse Profane’ is a stand out track, perhaps because of its bright vitality, or perhaps because a bit of Belle and Sebastian is utterly irresistible.
Moffat describes the tracks of Dilf_77 Would Like To Chat as “too unique” and “too cheery” to be included on a full album, and he’s not wrong.
One would expect to miss the bleak bluntness that defines the Moffat and Wells partnership; but this stands alone.
It combines the candid lyrical genius of Moffat with a delightful middle-aged optimism.
Dilf_77 Would Like To Chat is a rare glimpse into a sanguine side of Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat; an EP well worth a gander, as it’s a side of the duo seldom seen.
Words: Madeline Dunne
