What Moon Things’ eponymous album will be out June 3, and was influenced by ’90s alt rock bands like The Pixies and Modest Mouse. Their sound occasionally verges on shoegaze and post-punk, and is relaxing to lend an ear. With a lot of distortion and drawling voices, What Moon Things is an interesting listen.
“The Vampire” opens the record in a My Bloody Valentine meets The Clash way, with punk-like vocals set to droning, distorted guitars and background music. “The Astronaut” seems to have a Japanese influence as evidenced by the tangy opening riff, but is more melancholic than the previous track. It features plentiful “oohs” and U2-style screams that add to the already rock and roll verses. Opening with a single drum beat is “Staring At The Radio,” which eventually builds up to an angsty chorus perfect to let out all the pent-up anger that was restricted from the other tracks on this well put together release. The closer, “Sun, Where’s The Fire,” ends the album on a typical rock note, with the most energetic song as the finale. It leaves a strong impression on the listener, because of its loud guitars and post-punk melodies.
What Moon Things is a contradiction, as it features a lot of stereotypical rock aspects, like themes of space and an abundance of guitar, but each song is relaxing. It seems the release is in a daze, trying to break through to alt rock but tripping through post-punk and shoegaze on the way there. Nevertheless, the record is interesting and a pleasure to hear.
In A Word: Dreamy
