Words by: Julia Poholek

SoCal’s newest group, Move Like Creatures, has unveiled their debut single “Mind Reader” and prove they have a wealth of strengths at their disposal. Teaming up early in the pandemic, the band quickly found commonality as musical collaborators after being brought together by front-woman Nancy Bombard. With this debut drop and accompanying music video for, “Mind Reader” — Move Like Creatures display a dance-y, multifaceted pop-rock groove. Drawing from deep vulnerabilities and uniquely personal subject matter that some creators might shy away from, the group embraces the opportunity to shake things up with this spirited track.

The band takes its name from the idea that all of its members have their own share of past traumas, culminating in inner demons and creatures that live within them. However, they won’t be brought down by these struggles — only pushed to overcome them and become stronger. On this, Bombard says, “We’ve all been dragged through the mud at some point and gotten back up, but that just makes us value each other even more.”

“Mind Reader” is inspired by an “ill-fated therapy session,” something all too many can relate to. The song is bright and catchy, kicking things off with a bass note sliding into a bouncy rhythm that will instantly bring a smile to your face. The video opens on a fortune teller doing a tarot card reading. Aforementioned vocalist Nancy Bombard plays the role well, adorned in lush velvet and sparkling jewelry. She begins the reading, pulls cards from the deck [which is emblazoned with the Move Like Creatures logo], and lays them before her. Flipping the first one, we see that it says ‘The Bassist,’ with an illustration of a bass to match. The video cuts to bassist Brian Bello, and the theme of the video is established: abandoning the mundane and dropping into excitement.

One by one, the camera cuts to each band member at home doing household things after their corresponding card is pulled. Bello is washing dishes, drummer Melissa Koziel is reading a book on her couch, and guitarist Ryan Reynolds is brushing his teeth. Each of them slowly become transfixed on their respective home audio systems. For Bello, we see him look inquisitively at his small boombox in the kitchen after it starts blinking a light. When we cut to Koziel, she’s interrupted as she reads her book by her turntable acting up. Similarly with Reynolds, he stops brushing his teeth to turn and inspect his amplifiers. This is all interspersed with imagery of the band assembled, playing their hearts out with maximum energy to the beat of the song. They perform in a vivid, colorful room, and there’s an electrifying current of energy flowing between them. This is a stark contrast to the dim, blue-tinged lighting when we see each band member at low energy in their homes. Towards the end of the video, we see that they’ve all vanished from those dim rooms, now existing only in the vibrancy and spirit of the song.

Lyrically, the song outlines what it can be like to experience challenging mental health and be analyzed by those around you. The first verse focuses on the dynamic of therapist vs. patient: “She’s always judging me with those eyes/She’s always judging no surprise.”

The chorus — “You must be a mind reader/At least you look the part” — calls out those who might make unfounded conclusions or judgments on someone experiencing a tough time. The second verse continues to note comments about the speaker’s mental health, this time presumably from friends and family: “They’re always asking if I’m fine/They want to fix me all the time.” There’s exhaustion here, with the speaker soon describing the inner conflict they experience with the song’s bridge, “I hear waves crashing at night in my mind/I hear waves crashing at night in my mind.”

Altogether, this a debut single that is a gorgeous and succinctly-communicated way of describing what it feels like to have one’s suffering be on full display and examined endlessly – perhaps to be misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or simply mishandled in the psychiatric field. Backed by a video that showcases each member moving through a vibrant space celebrating their musical ability, Move Like Creatures use “Mind Reader” as a chance to look at mental health through a colorful prism of honest lyrics and infectious grooves.

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