Sometimes, a band I don’t “get” suddenly clicks. I first encountered Moron Police with 2019’s A Boat on the Sea, and while I liked a couple songs, I just didn’t jive with the music. Fast forward to 2025, and they’ve just released their much-anticipated Pachinko, and there’s just something about it that works for me. The album released on November 28th.
Moron Police come to us from Norway. Things have changed in the lineup slightly. The players are now Sondre Skollevoll on guitars, vocals, synths, piano, double bass, desert bass, banjo, percussion, programming, and orchestral arrangements; Lars Christian Bjørknes on synths, piano, organs, melodica, percussion, backing vocals, programming, and orchestral arrangements; and Christian Fredrik Holtsteen on bass. They also feature Billy Rymer of The Dillinger Escape Plan on drums.
The music here is both simple and incredibly complex. The band revels in tight vocal hooks, sweeping melodies, and high energy tempos. It’s something like Mr. Bungle meets Haken’s Aquarius and Frost*. I specify that Haken album because of the overarching storytelling and cinematic melodies that pervade this record. But they also offer wild synth passages and tongue-in-cheek lyrics that are both silly and deep. Their sound is an exercise in beautifully blended contrasts.
Pachinko is a concept album about a man becoming a sentient pachinko machine in Japan. Yes, you read that correctly. But, somehow, it’s also an existential and emotional journey that will leave you feeling…something. There are parts that almost make me cry and also segments that feel like freedom and met-desires. It’s a strange and incredibly effective story told with fabulous vocals, unbelievable drumming, groovy rhythms, and gorgeous synth melodies.
One thing I like about this album is how quickly it seems to, well, happen to us, basically. Many of the songs are short and infectious, but there are longer pieces where we can snuggle up and dwell upon the story for a bit. So, even though there are fourteen tracks, your favorite parts seem like they arrive quickly. The title track is smack-dab in the middle of the album, but it always feels like it shows up way sooner than I remember. I think the second half of the album is my favorite, but it doesn’t feel like the back half, you know?
I won’t discuss every song, but there are many highlights, believe me. The first five songs blow by, almost feeling like a single composition. My favorites there are “Waiting Around for You” and “Cormorant”. The former blends the epic feelings of the opener “Nothing Breaks (A Port of Call) and the snappy tone of “Alfredo and the Afterlife”, giving us a catchy and yet musically strong piece that will make you want to sing. The latter is a short yet lush piece with lots of Aquarius vibes and feels like the epic end of a chapter in the story.
Next comes the vibrant two-part title track, and this is possibly one of the best songs of the year. They total about sixteen minutes together and take us through a journey with huge cinematic moments, playful segments, and an abundance of color. I am always impressed with just how many catchy hooks can be found in this section of the album alone. It’s truly mesmerizing.
The back half of the album is a true pleasure. We get the sassy, horn-laden “King Among Kittens”, the incredibly catchy “Take Me to the City”, which plays like the sister of the previous track, and “The Apathy of Kings”, which is strangely serious and harmonious for this record, and I love it.
The final four tracks are amazing one after the other. “Hanabi” is an introspective and short interlude that signals a slight change in tone in “Okinawa Sky”—this is one of the two songs here that I can’t stop singing and humming to myself. “Okinaway Sky” is a delicious slice of 80s with warm synth and a gorgeous chorus. There’s something sad about it lyrically that really connects with me. It leads into the other song I love to sing, “The Sentient Dreamer”, which basically takes some of the vibe of the title track and slows it way down, like our protagonist taking a moment to consider his circumstances. It has a subtle yet deeply memorable hook that I’ll never forget. The closer “Giving Up the Ghost” is a perfect ending, full of cinematic melodies, thundering drums, pensive lyrics, and yet another amazing chorus.
Back in 2019, I didn’t really connect with Moron Police, but I followed them nonetheless because I could feel something there I liked that wasn’t fully realized. I think Pachinko is exactly what I always wanted this band to sound like. It has a little bit of everything for everyone but blends it so seamlessly and cinematically that you can’t help but fall in love with it. I hope everyone gives it a shot.
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The PROG Mind 