Moon Darling
Seattle, WA | Established. Jan 01, 2015 | INDIE
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Road trips are one of the great American pastimes, full of promising adventures and memories to be made. Imagine being a band on tour, living the dream until one day you are stranded on the side of the road with your van on fire. The dream becomes a living nightmare.
This is the fate that befell Seattle indie psych rock quartet Moon Darling. But these intrepid artists never let one bad day dampen their dreams. They have returned with an inspired new single written by frontman Michael Julian Escobar during that six-month road trip. Today we are excited to premiere “Dreams” from their forthcoming debut EP due out next month.
“Dreams” is a gently hallucinogenic number that takes you on a sonic trip across a vast soundscape inspired by the past and present. While their sound is fresh and modern, you can hear echoes of trippy, ‘60s-era psychedelic pop intertwined with current psych rock along the lines of Tame Impala, Temples, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra. By the time the vocals and percussion begin around the :25 second mark, you’re already entranced. Escobar has a voice made for exactly this type of genre. Spacious and warm, his vocals are accentuated by the equally dream-inducing layers of hazy synth, guitar, and bass.
Moon Darling have a tight, well-developed sound with each section blending together in seamless congruence. Take a trip with Moon Darling and let “Dreams” transport you to another plane of altered consciousness. The only fires you’ll encounter on this journey are the glowing embers of approval.
The Dreams EP releases June 3rd on Freakout Records. Moon Darling is scheduled to play Seattle’s Capitol Hill Block Party the weekend of July 22-24 alongside noted acts like Chvrches, Crystal Castles, The Joy Formidable, Car Seat Headrest, and more.
Moon Darling is: Michael Julian Escobar (vocals, synth, guitar), Ryan Davis (guitar), Jack Jay (bass), and Michelle Nuño (drums). - The Revue
The Seattle-based quartet, Moon Darling, welcomed summer in a nostalgic sepia-toned fashion this week with a four-song EP, titled Dreams. Dreams is genuinely dream-like, but stops just short of heavily psychedelic.
Moon Darling has the rare ability to sound live even over a recording. Their sound naturally conjures up cozy concert halls and crowded bars. Dreams, specifically the song “Which Way to Go,” has the feeling of an Eagles song injected with the modern sonic power of band’s like Tame Impala.
The EP is inspired by a six-month road trip where the band’s van caught on fire. While the situation sounds like a total nightmare, the EP, however, is seductively calming. It lures you into a warm daze with its swooning and psychedelic melodies.
Each song stands as a cohesive piece of the EP’s whole, seamlessly segueing into each track with saccharine guitar chords and woozy layers of synth. If the album is a road trip, “Dreams” is the beginning, hopeful with an entrancing sound. The slower second song and one of the best on the EP, “Which Way to Go”, is a soulful questioning and searching. “Coming Around” is finding the way with long interludes and emotional lyrics. And finally, “Feel Around You” is the destination, with the comfort of home after a long trip.
Reminiscent of Kevin Parker’s ambient vocals, frontman Michael Escobar’s voice echoes and almost haunts on “Feel Around You,” as it seemingly floats over soft, but warped guitar rifts. Although the vocals are an integral part of the band’s sound, Escobar’s voice doesn’t begin until 25 seconds in, letting the listener feel comfortable in the sonic sounds.
The band’s name Moon Darling is truly representative of their swooning and nostalgic tunes. Their hazy EP is made for relaxing afternoons, long drives and sleepless nights.
For more from Moon Darling head to their Facebook, and listen to Dreams on Spotify now. - Amadeus
Our Seattle Song of the Week is “Dreams” from psych rock band Moon Darling. The four-piece have solidified their sound by smoothly blending psychedelic 60s rock with modern psych music reminiscent of Tame Impala. In “Dreams,” Michael Julian Escobar’s voice and the percussions that back him up take you on a kaleidoscopic trip. The layers of synth guitar and bass that float along and the short guitar solo towards the end put you in an almost hallucinatory state. The song succeeds in expanding minds as well as genres with its spaced-out sound that hooks your consciousness and refuses to let go. - Next Northwest
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Moon Darling skirts the line between late-60s, Nuggets psychedelic riffs and modern, Kevin Parker-inspired synth pop.
After six years playing in a punk band, Michael Escobar was burnt out and decided to shift his focus in an entirely different direction. True to troubadour fashion, he climbed in his van and set out across the United States, writing new material and busking along the way. Half a year later - the adventure ending with his van bursting into flames somewhere in No Man's Land, Texas - Escobar hitchhiked back to the Pacific Northwest, where he would begin recording the songs from his journey, Starting Moon Darling
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