Here we are. It’s another Bites For Starters and it’s a blooming doozy. Serving up a taste of what’s new and what’s fresh, and getting right to the heart of those new bands shaking things up right at the starting gates. That’s what it’s all about, and this time around we’re diving right on into the glorious ocean that is Lo Moon.
After just one track, Lo Moon had us. ‘Loveless’, released a few months ago, was a rich and wrapped statement of intent from a trio (made up of frontman Matt Lowell, Crisanta Baker and Sam Stewart – whose dad just happens to be Dave Stewart of Eurythmics’ fame) who almost were magnetised together by a never-ending desire to make gripping music that holds you close and is unafraid to unravel in a remarkable fashion. So a pretty decent start right?
Now, there’s ‘This Is It’, another dazzling number from a band that confirms the sort of panoramic vision they’re laying out on the world. A touch of drive time 80s swagger, vulnerability coated in a formidable and stadium sized sprinkle and packed with plenty of space to revel in everything they do – Lo Moon aren’t waiting around and hoping for attention, they’re grabbing it right from the get-go.
Speaking about the track, frontman Matt laid out the details of the “three part” anthem: “The song is built on three different acts or stages of a relationship- realization, desperation and hope. In the two verses I wanted to focus on shining a different light on the meaning of ‘This Is It’ when each chorus hit. The first verse deals with the idea of “Parallel love” the second is the realization you may not be able to “save this” and the mantra in the middle is the glimmer of hope that life goes on. It took some time to make sure the choruses had the oceanic feeling, and we re-worked the song a bunch of times, but it wasn’t a 5 year process like ‘Loveless’, thank God!”
It’s another majestic serving, so it’s about time to check out the Bites of Lo Moon below – right after this delectable Starter course, ‘This Is It’
All three members of Lo Moon are from different places in the world, first playing together in frontman Matt Lowell’s back garden
I moved to LA from NY close to four years ago with a few songs in my pocket and the hopes of starting a band. I met Crisanta (Denver, Colorado) through a friend shortly after moving to LA and she connected with the songs I was kicking around. Sam (London, UK) got in touch with me after a friend played him an early version of ‘Loveless’. I loved the way the both of them approached music, and I knew we had so much in common. We all got together in my back yard shed and started experimenting with sound, pretty much right away. It’s a true team effort and I do think there’s an inherent uniqueness to our approach because of the fact we are from separate places in the world.
Inspiration flows from a real mix of sounds and styles, from Springsteen to Talk Talk – and that connection to music is vital in everything they do
I grew up on Bruce Springsteen, Bowie, Paul Simon, Dylan etc but also fell in love with bands like Prefab Sprout, The Blue Nile, Pink Floyd, Talk Talk etc. So I think there’s a strong connection for me to try and marry those worlds together. Each member of the band has their own tastes and there’s certainly a ton of overlap, but we are always discovering music together, thats the beauty of the way we work. I don’t think there was ONE musician that captivated me and inspired me to form a band, but I do think I became obsessed with the idea that musicians can move people on such a deep level. That is really special, and I know all three of us feel that way.
Their first shows in the UK went down a treat (which involved them headlining their own night in London and supporting MUNA and The Lemon Twigs)
Honestly it was so special for us to be in the UK. It was our first time playing shows out of the US and we loved every minute of it. It was even Crisanta’s first time in Europe! We have such a strong reverence for English music, so introducing our music to the UK was something we couldn’t wait to do. It was an incredible moment for us, and we can’t wait to come back!
The band have spent a lot of time nailing that ‘Lo Moon Feeling’ – so you can bet that’s already trademarked
It’s a certain emotional connection and we just want to make sure we are staying true to what we do feel we represent as a band. It took time to work out what that was, but it’s something we feel we will continue to hone in on and work to develop. It’s a tough one to pinpoint but when it’s right we all know it.
The emotion is at the core of everything we do musically. If we don’t connect with it on an emotional level, it’s hard for us to think anyone else will.
Things are happening quickly, and they’re bloody well excited by the reactions they’re getting
We are just living our dreams, and to think we started 2016 with no music out and no one having heard of us, we are so happy with all we’ve accomplished so far. The reaction has been really incredible, because it just keeps finding people. For us we continue to pinch ourselves that our first song has had any impact at all.
First track ‘Loveless’ had been in the works for nearly four and a half years before it actually landed in the world
I started working on ‘Loveless” close to four and half years ago while I was living in NYC. Like all of this, it just took some time to find it’s true voice. This band has definitely come out of the world of experimenting and trying different approaches with songs, and ‘Loveless’ was a great place to start. I will say though, at the core of every idea or approach we take is the importance of the song. I am obsessed with songs, because they have the power to live on, and we make sure we are always working to get to the core emotion of the song through the music. That’s number one for us.
That debut album finds Lo Moon in their own bubble, one factored on trusting their own sound
I don’t think the attention has motivated us to push on and create bigger tracks, a lot of this has just been about trusting the music. I think the audience influence will make it’s way onto the second record, just by playing more and more shows and know
They’re aiming right for arena stages, and are set on making fans life-long believers
We are all quite ambitious people and the band is certainly ambitious. We want to fill arenas one day and we want to do it on our own terms. That’s the dream for us. We want to let the music lead and continue to develop as a band, each step of the way. I don’t think there’s any reason to do something unless you want to get it out there, and touch as many people as you can. We look up to any band that has pushed themselves artistically and brought people into their own world and made fans life long believers. Radiohead is always an example of a band that has beat to their own drum successfully time and time again.
They work pretty tightly with Chris Walla from Death Cab For Cutie fame and Aussie composer/producer Franc Tetez (who scored horror classic ‘Wolf Creek’ amongst others)
Yes! Both Chris Walla and Franc Tetez connected to the music and the vision right away. They have been so important to the band, and we absolutely love working with them. It’s amazing having Chris in the studio on the first record, because he’s been in a band before, he’s been in our shoes, and we trust him through and through.
Museums? Books? Films? Hockey? Lo Moon aren’t just all about the music y’know
For me I love to read, go to museums and I have a real affinity to hockey, unexpected I know. Santa loves to draw and paint and read on her off time, and Sam has a real love for film and most likely will always be noodling on guitar at every second of the day.
If Lo Moon was a meal, it’d be a pretty seductive one
A NICE MEDIUM RARE RIB-EYE. ROMANTIC, CANDLE LIT DINNERS.
Now that’s a meal we’d serve up again and again – but we’ll have to wait for a live serving. Lo Moon are expected to return to the UK later this year, with US support slots lined up with Glass Animals and Air over the summer.